Gov. Hickenlooper heading to Asia, Middle East

Gov. John Hickenlooper is heading on a two-week trip to Asia and the Middle East to boost economic opportunities for Colorado.

The Denver Post reports Hickenlooper will be joined by 52 delegates from the state’s educational and business sectors during the trip, which begins Wednesday. The delegation will visit China, Japan, Turkey and Israel.

The majority of the trip will be spent in Colorado’s third- and fourth-largest export markets, China and Japan.

The governor is looking to build relationships during his first-ever trade visit to China. In Japan, he will focus on technology, oil and energy companies.

Hickenlooper is set to meet with a solar company in Istanbul, and with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The governor’s past international trade missions were to Mexico and Canada.