Philly Mayor Heading to China for Trade Mission

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will lead a weeklong trip to China in an effort to raise the city's international profile and promote business opportunities.

The Inquirer reports Nutter will leave Thursday for the city of Tianjin. It's about a 35-minute high-speed train ride from Beijing.

Nutter will be traveling with representatives of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the city's airport, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Drexel University and other local groups.

As president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Nutter was also invited to speak in Beijing at The Paulson Institute's conference on urban sustainability that opens Dec. 4.

This is Nutter's second official international trip as mayor. He visited Rio de Janeiro last year, also for an urban sustainability conference.