OSAKA, JAPAN.- Baja California Governor Francisco Vega de Lamadrid is on a trade mission in Asia. Among one of many agenda items, he has met with executives of SHARP, the LCD television screen manufacturer that has plans to expand operations in Mexico and specifically in Baja California.

[p]Governor Vega discussed ongoing and planned infastructure projects in Baja California with SHARP executives that will help agilize operations of many companies already operating in the region.

One key project is the railway modernization project that will get started in 2015 and will rehabilitate a short-distance Tijuana-Tecate line, with an investment this year alone of 200 million pesos.

Additionally, in order to strengthen commercial ties with the United States via a connected railway, Baja's government will construct an intermodal terminal that will benefit more than 500 companies, and specifically maquiladoras in the region.

Governor Vega indicated that the U.S. is working hand in hand with Mexican authorities and the city of San Diego will also invest in increasing the volume of railway cars on the Tijuana-San Diego line, and plan to increase from ten thousand wagons to close to twenty thousand.

Japanese executives announced plans to increase production lines that are already in place in the state, and released figures on the value of operations of SHARP in Mexico, which is approximately 1.6 billion dollars of annual sales and more than sixteen hundred jobs. The company imports half of its products, which arrive via Ensenada's maritime port. The company is very interested in proposed infrastructure projects which could make transportation of needed raw materials much more efficient. They added that having a Governor that is familiar with the business environment and business promotion, such as is the case with Baja's governor, increases certainty and security for investors.

The Baja California trade missionaries on visit in Asia also presented other initiatives to executives that have developed over this past year to minimize investment barriers and increase investment opportunities specificaly in the market of solar panels in the state.

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