He made the announcement at the North Wales Export Forum, which is one of two events being held to reinforce the Welsh government’s focus on exports and exporters as the UK prepares for Brexit.
He said that increasing the value of exports and the number of exporters in Wales has been the “central pillars” of the Welsh economic strategy and it is more important than ever to focus on strengthening trade relations with countries across the world.
“I am pleased to confirm that next month I will be joining 18 Welsh companies as part of their next trade mission to China with a view to expanding our trade relations and building on what is already a strong and thriving relationship,” Skates said.
“As part of my trip I will be visiting Chongqing and Shanghai and am optimistic that both my visit and the trade mission will enable Welsh companies to win new export business in China.”
Specialist manufacturer, Conren, which is based in Wrexham, is among the companies going to China in February.
Veronica Dawson, export manager at Conren, said: “Exporting is key to our business and we currently export to over 30 markets around the world.
“The Export Forum provided a great opportunity for us to meet other exporters from across Wales and hear how other companies are preparing for the future, and we are very much looking forwarding to next month’s trade mission.”
Skates added that a trade mission to Japan last October has already resulted in £1.4 million of orders and potential contracts for businesses that travelled there.
“I am determined to make sure that we do what we can to help businesses maintain and, indeed, grow their export business as the UK transitions out of the EU,” he said.