St. Louis-China hub effort to get $1.7 million in federal funds

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Tim Logan

The U. S. Department of Commerce will contribute $1.7 million toward St. Louis' efforts to land a Chinese air cargo hub, Sens. Christopher "Kit" Bond and Claire McCaskill announced Thursday afternoon.

The grant will go to the St. Louis County Economic Council, which is part of the newly formed Midwest China Hub Commission, to help with technical planning and infrastructure assistance on the project, according to a news release from Bond and McCaskill.

On Monday, Chinese ambassador Zhou Wenzhong visited St. Louis to help celebrate the creation of the commission and said the Chinese are very enthusiastic about the deal, which would use Lambert-St. Louis International Airport as a hub for air cargo going between China and a swath of the Midwest.

"This is about jobs for the St. Louis region, and right now, that's more important than ever," McCaskill said. "It's an investment in the economic future of our state."

"The Midwest cannot afford to sit on the sidelines and miss the economic opportunities available to businesses and workers on the East and West Coasts," Bond said. "I am confident that this hub will fuel jobs of the future for Missouri workers."

On Monday, civic leaders said they will soon complete a report on the demand for two-way cargo trade and are planning a second delegation to China to move the project forward.