Beijing — Gov. Sonny Perdue and a Georgia trade delegation trying to drum up business with China find themselves walking a fine line between a roaring free-market economy and the repressive communist government that controls it.

Perdue, who'll open a state economic development office in China's capital city on Wednesday, said he doesn't plan to bring up the sensitive topic of Tibet during the trip.

"It's best to let them handle their affairs, and let us handle those of the United States," Perdue said.

The governor and his entourage of state business and political leaders want Georgia companies to do more business with the world's fastest growing economy, and they want more Chinese companies to locate in Georgia.

The trade mission, however, comes at a time when the leadership of the People's Republic of China is being criticized for its crackdown on Tibetan dissidents.

"We're politely staying away from that," Perdue said of the Tibet controversy during an interview with the AJC. "The mission of our trip is economic development and specifically to establish a trade office. That requires the cooperation of the Chinese government."

Perdue leads a delegation of about 40 people that arrived Monday in Shanghai, aboard Delta Air Lines' inaugural non-stop daily flight into that city. The Delta flight is expected to open the door to more Chinese business, and officials are being careful not to do anything to jeopardize that.

Government, business and the media are closely linked in this nation of 1.3 billion people, which is already Georgia's second-largest trading partner.

The odd combination of a communist government and a boom-town economy could be seen clearly on the front page of Tuesday's China Daily newspaper, which is heavily censored by the government. The top story was a boosterish piece about the Olympic torch ceremony in Tianamen Square.

A three-paragraph story down page noted that two bank robbers had been executed in Handan. They had just been convicted in August. At the bottom of the page was an orange-splashed color ad for Hooters restaurants in Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou that featured a scantily clad young Asian woman holding a mug of beer.

Tuesday was primarily a travel day for the Georgia trade delegation as it moved from the skyscraper-studded business center of Shanghai to Beijing.

Albert M. Hodge Jr., president and CEO of the Rome Chamber of Commerce, hopes the trip pays off in more jobs for his area.

"A Chinese person told me the national bird of China is the crane — as in the construction crane," Hodge said Tuesday as he waited for his flight to Beijing.

One Rome firm, OTR Wheel Engineering, already has a headquarters and design headquarters in North Georgia, but two manufacturing plants in China.

Hodge said he has nine meetings planned during the trip in an effort to lure more Chinese business to his community. He traveled to Xining and Beijing a year ago to meet government and business leaders and will follow-up on those discussions this trip. His community has also hosted a delegation from China.

"I'm looking to build on those relationships, which is critical to doing business over here," he said. "We're realistic. We know it could be years before this pays off."

"But there's no question in my mind this will eventually pay off for Georgia."