Pritzker also presented the premier with a Chicago Bulls jacket. Zhu used the occasion to plug his effort to join the World Trade Organization and asked American farmers to help out in his quest. The remarks came a day after the U.S. and China signed an agreement that opens Chinese markets to American wheat, beef and citrus. Corn prices are down. Agriculture in this country is in a major recession, to say the least.
Some sectors are even in depression.
Zhu's Boeing 747 Air China jet came to a stop on the military side of O'Hare just before noon. Mayor Richard Daley headed a welcoming committee. Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood represented the state. Some 100 members of the Chicago area's Chinese community waved Chinese and American flags and shouted their welcome in Zhu's native tongue. A group of entertainers from the Yellow River Performing Arts in Bloomingdale and the Xilin Foundation, centered in Roselle, wore traditional costumes representing a number of China's regions and beat out a welcome on small Chinese drums.