And 220 Utah business professionals in attendance liked what they heard. Many used the event as an opportunity to network and gain international business leads, and members of the Association of Southeast Nations each touted their nations as the best investments. The association is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"The Philippines are a biodiversity hot spot. We have the kind of materials that perhaps the neutraceutical industry would be interested in," Evan Garcia, deputy chief of mission for the Philippines, said at the conference, which was heavily attended by representatives from Utah's neutraceutical industry, including sponsors XanGo, Nu Skin Enterprises and the United Natural Products Alliance.

"We also have large reserves of gold and copper. Don't wait too long [to develop our minerals] because the Chinese are already there. They might take up all the contracts," Garcia said.

Diana Yang, a marketing analyst for Rio Tinto, parent company of Kennecott Copper, said her company already has mines in Southeast Asia but is interested in developing more mineral sources and markets in the region. She attended the conference to make new contacts but also enjoyed sharing information about China, her native country, with others at the conference.

Greg Ingles, vice president of L-3 Communications/MPRI's Maritime Simulation Division, took advantage of a break to speak with the ambassador from Malaysia. The Salt Lake City-based company is developing a joint venture with that nation to build a training center for container ship operators at Malaysia's Port of Johar. Ingles said 97 percent of the business his division does is international, and half of that is done in Asia.

"I agree with the governor," Ingles said. "If you don't believe in a global economy, you should."

rwinters@sltrib.com