State agricultural officials will accompany Gov. Linda Lingle on her two-week trip to Asia to sign an agreement with the Chinese government to develop procedures for exporting Hawaii agricultural products to China.

Lingle announced the agreement yesterday as part of her trip to China and Japan to promote Hawaii and cultivate relationships with local governments in both countries. The governor leaves Friday and is expected to return about June 18.

“;The purpose of this trip is to sign a memorandum of understanding, which puts things in motion,”; Lingle said of the agricultural agreement. “;Usually, in China, that would be the first step in establishing a relationship and moving forward on a venture that both sides want to achieve.

“;That's really the purpose of this trip—preliminary talks about the kinds of products they think would be popular and what steps we might have to take,”; Lingle said.

The two state Department of Agriculture officials traveling with the delegation are doing so on a federal grant.

“;They were very innovative and submitted this grant to the federal government and were rewarded,”; Lingle said.

This will be Lingle's fourth trip to China as governor, and will cover Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming and Beijing. The delegation also will include officials from various state agencies, executives from the state's tourism and travel sector, and members of the Legislature, including House Speaker Calvin Say and Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Donna Kim.

The number of state officials will vary with each city visited.

Lingle plans to focus on promoting tourism, investment, trade, renewable energy and educational opportunities in Hawaii.

Her first stop, Saturday through next Wednesday, will be at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, where officials from the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the local visitor industry will join her in various activities related to promotion of the islands during “;Hawaii Week”; at the United States Pavilion.

Other events include the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Hawaii's sister state-province relationship with Guangzhou, and discussions in Beijing with U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman on tourism issues, including the visa application process for Chinese travelers to the United States.

After China, the delegation is scheduled to visit Japan from June 15 to 18 to discuss travel and tourism issues.

“;When you're a state in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, this kind of outreach is critical for your economic well-being,”; Lingle said.