HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele is preparing for a weeklong humanitarian and trade mission to China with lieutenant governors from Nevada, Kansas, Alabama and Wisconsin.

Fedele, accompanied by his wife Carol, leaves this weekend. He plans to tour economic development zones and meet with Beijing's assistant foreign minister, vice minister of commerce and the vice premiere.

He also will spend time at the Chengdu Panda Research Center, meet the lieutenant governor of the Sichuan Province, and visit Shanghai and Mianyang, a city devastated by the May 12 earthquake.

Fedele said China needs American companies and expertise to help it rebuild from the quake. Connecticut firms, he said, can assist with that redevelopment.

``I think there's going to be a role in the way of heavy equipment, parts and products,'' he said. ``There's going to be obviously a need for fertilizer and building products we make here in Connecticut. There's going to be a need for training and expertise.''

China is Connecticut's seventh largest trading partner, and last year bought $565 million worth of goods produced in Connecticut, Fedele said.

The Chinese government is paying for the trip, which was organized by the National Lieutenant Governors Association, The People's Friendship Organization and the Chinese embassy.