Nanjing Delegation Visit to Atlanta
Headed by Deputy Director General Mr. Yan Zhuang, the visit by the 5-person Nanjing delegation was the result of various trips and discussions made between Atlanta and Nanjing during the last few years including the visit led by Mayor Kasim Reed which provided a foundation for future dialogues between our two cities. The delegation members were:
Mr. Yan Zhuang, Deputy Director General, Nanjing Municipal Investment Promotion Commission
Mr. Jianzhong Hao, Director, Nanjing Municipal Investment Promotion Commission
Mr. Bo Yu, President, Sinar Mas & Zijin Venture Capital Management Co. Ltd.
Mr. Jian Fang, Chairman, Full Share Energy Science & Technology Co. Ltd.
Mr. Shaohui Wang, Full Share Energy Science & Technology Co. Ltd.
The delegation only visited two cities during this U.S. trip: Green Bay and Atlanta, and is interested in continuing the dialogues with Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce (“MACOC”) and the business communities in Atlanta. Full Share Group is one of 3 largest privately-held companies in Nanjing. With annual sales of over $2.5 billion, Full Share Group operates divisions in clean energy, medical/pharmaceutical products, agriculture, real estate construction and engineering, hospitality and leisure, etc. Zijin Capital Investment (Sina Mas Zijin is a fund set up between Zijin and Asia Pulp and Paper Group) is the local conduit of the Beijing SASAC (State-owned Asset Supervision Administration Commission), and is considered a quasi-governmental entity. It manages assets in excess of $60 Billion, and CEO Mr. Yu is interested in investing in small and medium enterprises in US industries such as IT, clean tech, advanced manufacturing technology, and healthcare/pharmaceutical industries.
After their arrival in Atlanta on December 17, 2013, the delegation met with MACOC and local business leaders, as well as NACA Board members including Chair Lani Wong, President Hong Wills, Past President Steven Gu and Advisor Henry Yu. MACOC hosted a lunch to a selective group of about 35 people. MACOC VP Mr. Fernandez, Georgia Department of Economic Development Director Kathe Falls and City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office International Affairs Director Claire Angelle made welcome remarks to the delegation. In addition to introductions of their respective cities, several Atlanta companies met with Full Share Group and the Zijin Capital Management officers, including Hannah Solar and Suniva Inc. A few medical field professionals also had lengthy discussions with Full Share and Zijin.
NACA hosted a private dinner for the delegation with about 40 people in attendance. Both Lani and Hong delivered welcome remarks and introduced NACA and our Team to our guests. NACA team in attendance included Lani & John Wong, Steven Gu, Rengen Li, Li Zheng, Ric Hubler, Elaine & Henry Yu and Liwei Rue. Deputy Director General Zhuang delivered greeting remarks to NACA and our guests. DeKalb County Interim CEO Lee May also met with the guests during reception, and was joined by DeKalb County Deputy COO Luz Borrero and DeKalb County Economic Development Authority Chair Vaughn Irons. Several companies have shown strong interests in exploring business relationships and opportunities in Nanjing and in China including Red Bag Solutions (President Don Millard), CRDX (CEO Jane Wu), Rowland China Advisory (Founder Liz Rowland), and PureVest Advisors LLC (Chief Investment Officer Joe Bowman), etc. The dinner provided a great business networking opportunity for the attendees. Deputy Director General Zhuang thanked NACA for NACA’s unwavering commitment to the promotion of US/China relations including the promotion of businesses between Nanjing and Atlanta. Special thanks to Mr. Hao Lu, who volunteered as the interpreter during lunch and dinner.
Contributed by Henry Yu