China Day Fosters Relationships That Lead to Trade
Rongrong Liu, Rep. Charlice Byrd and Li
Liansheng
Personal relationships, such as those
fostered through the Georgia China Alliance’s third annual
China Day at the Georgia State Capitol Feb. 12, can help to
increase Georgia exports to China, according to Sen. Judson
Hill and Chinese Embassy Counselor Li Liansheng, who
attended the event.
Mr. Hill, a former international trade executive and lawyer
who now represents parts of Cobb and Fulton counties in the
Georgia Senate, sponsored China Day to increase awareness of
the state’s growing trade relationship with China. Rep.
Charlice Byrd, a Chinese-American representing Woodstock in
the Georgia House of Representatives, also sponsored the
event.
Mr. Li, counselor at the Chinese embassy in Washington, told
GlobalAtlanta during the China Day celebration that the
exchanges between local and state governments and the
people-to-people exchanges he coordinates between U.S. and
Chinese municipalities, foster relationships that lead to
trade.
Mr. Hill told GlobalAtlanta that he sponsored the event
because he wants to promote the export of more Georgia
products to China.
“We import so much from China, but we need to send those
containers back full,” Mr. Hill said, adding that personal
relationships between Chinese and Georgian businesspersons
and politicians is crucial to that effort.
Georgia imported $8.2 billion in goods from China in 2005
but only exported $979 million in goods to the country.
Textiles were Georgia’s top export to China in 2005, making
the state eighth among U.S. states in exports to China that
year with a total of $980 million in exports. California, by
comparison, exported $7.8 billion to China in 2005.
A Chinese Consulate General in Atlanta and a Delta Air Lines
Inc. direct flight between Atlanta and China would help to
improve exports and relationships, Mr. Hill said of the two
initiatives state and city officials are pushing for.
Increasing trade with states and municipalities is part of
Mr. Li’s job at the Chinese embassy. While he has only been
in his Washington post for five months, he felt Georgia was
an important state for China in terms of trade potential.
Although he declined to say whether Georgia was more
proactive in building trade relationships than North or
South Carolina, he said Georgia officials and businesses had
been very receptive.
Georgia still has a long way to go, however, to develop
business expertise and relationships for trade with China,
according to Henry Yu, managing director of global trade
solutions for SunTrust Bank and president of the National
Association of Chinese-Americans’ Atlanta Chapter, who sits
on the Georgia China Alliance board of directors.
“Georgia is 15 years behind other states,” Mr. Yu told
GlobalAtlanta during China Day, noting that states like New
York, Illinois and Michigan had developed trade
relationships with China decades ago.
Atlanta is still struggling to find experts in banking,
finance and business matters to help Chinese investors set
up operations here, he said.
Georgia does have the potential, however, to export
agricultural products, such as cotton and soybeans as well
as machinery and other materials, to China, Mr. Yu said.
If Georgia can develop the right relationships and garner
the right expertise, Chinese will buy exports from here, he
said. The new Georgia office opening this spring in Beijing
will help as well, he added.
The Georgia China Alliance aims to increase awareness in
Georgia about opportunities with China, said Ronrong Liu,
Georgia China Alliance executive director who organized
China Day.
Ms. Liu said the day was the kick-off event for her
organization that is planning multiple events this year to
highlight Georgia-China trade, including various visits by
Chinese delegations to Atlanta.
Ms. Liu is to be part of a panel of speakers discussing
their experiences in China on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m., at
the Southern Center for International Studies Young
Professionals briefing. Visit
www.scis.org to register.
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