In 2003, the Georgia State Senate, under the leadership of then Senator Sam Zamarripa, formed a “Georgia-China Future Study Committee” pursuant to Senate Resolution 225 (click here for a copy). Collecting testimony from industry and academic leaders, the Committee spent more than six months analyzing Georgia’s exports and imports with China and determining market opportunities in China for the State of Georgia. At the end of this study, the committee developed a report that outlined a strategic plan for the State of Georgia to systematically cultivate and capture opportunities offered by the growing economy in China, including both inbound opportunities to recruit investment from China and outbound opportunities for Georgia companies to reach the vast market in China.
The final report recommended that Georgia encourage and support:
- Pursuing the establishment of a Chinese consulate in Atlanta;
- Expanding commercial, passenger and logistics capacity; and
- Establishing an entity to focus on building long-term relationships with key business and political leaders in China
For complete report, please click here
At the end of 2004, Senator Zamarripa and a group of business leaders actively involved in the Georgia-China Future Study decided to form Georgia China Alliance to pursue some of the objectives set out in the report.
