Mark Begich on Free Trade Democratic Challenger

Capitalize on our assets in the global economy

Before we could even sit down, one of the visiting Chinese journalists was giving me the Anchorage sales pitch. In flawless English, he was bragging about Anchorage's tourist attractions, talking about Alaska's proximity to Asia, telling me about all the wealthy new Chinese entrepreneurs looking for a place like Anchorage to invest.

I believe Anchorage is enormously well positioned to capitalize on our assets in the global economy. We're already doing a lot of things right. Our airport is one of our city's chief economic engines, handling 650 international wide-body cargo landings a week. And the World Trade Center Alaska works to connect foreign markets with potential Alaska suppliers. These efforts and many more helped push Alaska's exports to the highest level ever last year: $4 billion.