As Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff stated in an article published in today’s San Antonio Express News, San Antonio is poised to become a new center for U.S.-Chinese commerce.
A visit by Chinese business representatives to San Antonio early next month will mark the latest step towards the establishment of a critical pilot venture that would entail a multi-million-dollar apparel and warehouse complex opening in 2011. This opportunity is the outgrowth of discussions begun over a year ago, after Chinese officials responded positively to the regional message Bexar County had been promoting about the global advantages of the Texas-Mexico Automotive SuperCluster (TMASC).
Following a series of reciprocal trade missions to and from China, the Bexar County Commissioners Court and the Chinese Counselor’s Office of the State Council (COSC) formed the West-East Bilateral Economic Regional Collaboration Council (WEBERCC). The COSC is an institution of the national Chinese government that develops and provides government officials at the national, prefecture and local levels with policy advice and guidance to benefit privately-owned corporations that are entering the global market.
WEBERCC’s purpose is to promote trade with government, industry, and trade-related entities in China and the U.S. It focuses on trade and investment, market strategy and cluster development. WEBERCC assists companies with developing and executing North American and Asian market growth strategies. It also collaborates with a diverse number of public and private sector partners to develop key industries.
Within the automotive industry, WEBERCC is promoting a Texas-Northeastern Mexico strategy for Chinese companies. Just last month, at the AAPEX Auto Show in Las Vegas, WEBERCC and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) signed an agreement on economic collaboration to assist Chinese and North American automotive companies with market expansion and development.
Progress to date on the apparel project, and a demonstrated readiness to collaborate on future projects, represents very good news for TMASC and WEBERCC. Success with this first venture could mean multiple subsequent Chinese foreign direct investment projects in the TMASC region.