Nebraska's first trade office in China is officially open - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

Governor Dave Heineman says the Nebraska Center China officials cut their ribbon at the office in Shanghai 13-hours earlier on Monday.

Monday, at the capital in Lincoln, Heineman made his announcement and the director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and guests joined them live in Shanghai.

He says the office is a gateway for Nebraska companies entering and expanding in China.

One of the businesses that went on the Governors Trade Mission to China in 2012 was a Laurel, Nebraska business.

Laurel BioComposite, converts Distillers Grain, a by-product of the ethanol process, into a product that replaces traditional petroleum based resins in plastics manufacturing and they are in talks with Chinese businesses right now.

"For a small company, we're excited. We are a bio based company. What we are doing is we are trying to replace our reliance on crude oil, by replacing the resins in plastic and it is my understanding that is what China is promoting now. So we are very hopeful in breaking into this market," Annette Junck, with Laurel BioComposites said.

Heineman says everyone is competing a global free market economy and Nebraska businesses across the state are working hard to be a part of the export markets in agriculture and general business.

In 2006, Governor Heineman opened a Nebraska Center in Tokyo, Japan.