DOING business with the American state of Virginia has become a lot easier.

A pact signed a few days ago by the state governor Mark Warner and Kent County Council leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart is a milestone in Anglo-US relations.

As the first such deal between an English county and an American state, it underlines again that Kent is ahead of the game.

Things are already happening. A party of Kent teachers recently spent a week in Virginian schools; a rock musical will be performed in Virginia by Kent and local students.

Kent has long been a Europe-minded county because of its proximity to France. French businesses are now a common sight in Kent, and vice-versa. But the French connection is often frustrated by language difficulties and a perception that France favours its own.

We share a similar language with the Americans and we know much of each other's culture. The Jamestown 2007 commemoration - understandably NOT a celebration for Native Americans - will underline these factors.

Virginians are more conscious than most of their compatriots about their roots. Many are proud to claim they are descendants of those early pioneers. Just to look at a map is to see place names that resonate with the South East: New Kent County, Sussex, Suffolk.

At least four of the first settlers - or adventurers - hailed from Kent. The bones of Pocanontas lie in Gravesend.

KCC chiefs, especially Cllr Alex King and Rebecca Casson, executive director of the Jamestown 2007 British Committee, have pulled off a remarkable coup in forging such close links with Virginia.

Indeed, their energy and vision have stiffened the resolve of the Virginian officials to broaden their attitude to 2007 and get things moving.

But the Memorandum of Understanding, signed in Richmond, Virginia, will only be worth more than the paper it is written on if it signals a long-term partnership.

KCC and Virginia have unlocked the door. Now it is up to others to push it open, step through and make the most of this rare and exciting opportunity.