NEW YORK, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. city of Columbus in the central state of Ohio is expecting to attract more Chinese investment as the anchoring of more Chinese companies will help kickstart the local economy, a business leader has said.
"We would like to certainly see more Chinese commerce coming as the business collaborations between the two sides are important to the economic vitality of the region and in China," said Deborah Scherer, the managing director of global trade and investment of Columbus 2020, a key organization to foster the economic growth of 11 counties in central Ohio.
"So we want the relationship to continue and to grow," Scherer said.
About ten Chinese companies from various industries are operating in the Columbus region and have created some 400 to 500 jobs for the neighborhood, she told Xinhua in a recent interview over phone.
Scherer has over 20 years of experience of working with Chinese counterparts who wanted to expand their business in the United States. For some Chinese companies, operations in central Ohio function as their first entry into the U.S. market, she said.
"We think that areas in which Chinese companies can thrive here are areas of manufacturing, logistics and distribution," Scherer said.
She also said that foreign direct investment (FDI) contributes to the betterment of local communities both economically and culturally, noting that Chinese FDI in the region has been a growing segment over the years.
Chinese investment helps globalize the area that did not have much exposure to the Chinese culture, Scherer said, citing Ohio-based firm Fuyao, one of the largest Chinese investors in the United States, as a good example.
Meanwhile, Scherer said she believes in the power of cross-border commerce as free trade "is the most beneficial to all companies engaged" in today's very integrated global supply chain.
Products imported from China that are being integrated into the supply chain of this region helps keep local companies strong, and U.S. companies that are exporting to China are also creating jobs, she added.
Highly valuing Chinese collaborations in the region, Scherer hopes that more progress could be made in alleviating ongoing trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.
"We would love to see the issue move to a positive direction and towards resolution," she said. Enditem
