US city hosts trade forum to boost cooperation between state of Georgia, Chinese province

ATLANTA, the United States - An investment and trade forum was held here Thursday with an eye to boosting cooperation between Northwest China's Shaanxi province and southern US state of Georgia.

The event was attended by over a hundred government officials, entrepreneurs and business representatives from both Shaanxi and Georgia, who exchanged views on bilateral cooperation by way of investment and trade, among other things.

Hu Heping, secretary of the Communist Party of China's provincial committee for Shaanxi, delivered a keynote speech and introduced the province's advantageous environment for foreign investment and business.

There is a great complementarity between Shaanxi and Georgia in terms of social and economic development, and the two sides have great potentials to strengthen their exchanges and cooperation, Hu told Xinhua.

Mary Waters, deputy commissioner overseeing international trade for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, called the event "a great opportunity" for Shaanxi and Georgia to know each other.

"We share a lot in common, aviation manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, environmental technologies," Waters said. "We learned a lot today about where those opportunities are for us to continue to work together and see how that develops into a stronger trading relationship."

Besides, several entrepreneurs and business representatives from Georgia said that the state has benefited from its wide-ranging economic and trade relationship with China, and they hope the relationship would be consolidated and further developed.

"We still want to do business in China and we want people from China to do business in the United States," said Andrew Neumann, vice president of Kajima Building & Design Group, Inc.

The event was jointly held by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and its sub-council in Shaanxi.

Local reports said Georgia is to send a delegation of officials and business executives to China next week, aiming to build closer economic, tourism and educational ties between Georgia and Chinese cities.

Home to the famed Terra Cotta Warriors, Shaanxi's capital city of Xi'an is known for its high-tech industry, strong universities and historic role as a major hub along the ancient Silk Road.