Sen. Claire McCaskill said Tuesday that she is "optimistic" that St. Louis will have at least two Chinese cargo flights a week by the summer of 2011.

McCaskill made the comments at a luncheon with the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, about 16 hours after she got off a plane from Beijing, where she and Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond had led a weeklong trade delegation for talks about the region's China Hub project.

Trade with China is a great opportunity for the U.S. to boost exports, she said, and St. Louis' economy will benefit if it positions itself as a key gateway between the two nations.

"There is an opportunity for massive amounts of American exports to China," she said. "They can not produce all the things their middle class needs."

While some of the delegation remains in China continuing to hammer out agreements, McCaskill said that more St. Louis-bound visits are planned this fall by Chinese airlines and business groups. Four airlines have agreed to study routes, and McCaskill said she was told the Chinese government would choose one to launch service.

In other comments, McCaskill predicted that the $50 billion infrastructure plan President Obama unveiled Monday would be popular, but only if it doesn't add to the federal budget.

"I think most people will be open to the President's suggestion if it's paid for. I don't think there'll be enough votes if it's not," she said. "I think we're no longer going to be doing things that are big like that if they go on the credit card. We have put too much on the credit card already."

It's not entirely clear how the White House plans to pay for it, but officials have indicated that cutting subsidies to oil and gas companies could easily generate $50 billion.

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