MULTIMEDIA DEVELOPING

Khanna, who is traveling across the country to promote President Barack Obama's National Export Initiative, told attendees at an April 9 manufac- turing forum in Fremont, Calif., that although manufacturing has dropped from 28 percent to 11.5 percent, he was confident that these sectors would continue to grow and support high-paying jobs in the United States.

"The key is to invest in innovation, and to take advantage of global demand and increase exports," Khanna, who presented an administration grant to the city, was quoted as saying in a press release form his office. Talking about the importance of exporting in creating jobs, Khanna pointed out that "only 5 percent of American companies currently exported," and exports accounted for less than 12 percent of the U.S. gross national product. Comparatively, exports account for over 40 percent of China and Germany's GNP .

"The challenge is how to make American companies more aware of the opportunities that exist abroad for American prod- ucts," he said.

Khanna is part of the key team that includes Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and aims to increase U.S.
exports and boost job creation at home.

As part of the initiative, Khanna has already traveled to Des Moines; Oshkonosh, Wis.; Cleveland; Salt Lake City; and Newark, N.J., to conduct forums with the local governments on export and job creation for minority owned businesses, the press release said.