It wasn't long after Jorge Fernandez started working at the Metro Atlanta Chamber that he got his first China-related assignment.

Mr. Fernandez became the vice president over the chamber's Global Commerce division in May 2006.  

In addition to building a coalition of like-minded members and community leaders to promote Atlanta as an international business center, Mr. Fernandez was soon asked to organize a China delegation including chamber officials and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. 

So began the chamber's first intense push to build the Atlanta brand and court business in China, the world's fastest growing large economy, Mr. Fernandez told members of the Georgia China Alliance at a forum on July 21.

The former U.S. Air Force pilot and Delta Air Lines Inc. executive was no stranger to Asia.  As international and alliances vice president at Delta, his responsibilities encompassed the Pacific region, and in 2005 he helped the airline set up a sales office in Beijing.

The business recruitment efforts he helped kick-start at the chamber during the 2006 trip haven't slowed. In April, chamber leaders took their third China trip in as many years. Over two weeks, three teams spread throughout 11 cities met with 45 companies individually and touched as many as 200 through seminars, Mr. Fernandez said.

Although speaking to an audience that wouldn't question China's economic importance, Mr. Fernandez laid out some aspects of the chamber's strategy as if he were addressing skeptics. 

First, he presented a timeline of Georgia's successes. Although they've faced a rocky road since arriving here, three Chinese manufacturers have announced investments totaling $75 million since 2006.  The Chinese ambassador in 2007 pronounced Atlanta as the favored location should China open a new consulate in the U.S.  In 2008, Atlanta won another victory when Delta made its first nonstop flight from here to Shanghai, a route that will be suspended in September due to poor economic conditions. In addition to these highlights, the chamber has helped host a number of smaller Chinese delegations. 

Despite the positives, though, the focus on China seems on the surface disproportionate to Chinese direct investment here, which has been small compared to some projects coming in from other countries during the same period. 

Mr. Fernandez shed light on why the chamber has been spent so much effort recruiting Chinese companies even though the Asian nation's share of global foreign investment has been relatively low. 

The U.S. accounted for 15 percent of the world's foreign investment last year. China's share was only about 2 percent, most of which went to fuel infrastructure development in Africa that will give China access to natural resources that will support its economic growth, Mr. Fernandez said.

But underlying economic factors besides actual FDI have elevated China to the top rung on the chamber's three-tiered priority scale for both inbound and outbound efforts, he added.

The key is China's potential.  Although the process has slowed recently as its government ramps up domestic expenditures during the current downturn, in 2002 China enacted a strategy encouraging overseas investment by private enterprises and state-run companies.

China is targeting 8 percent gross domestic product growth this year while developed Western economies like the U.S. struggle to break even. Bolstered by a strong domestic stimulus package, China overcame weak export demand in the second quarter, posting 7.9 percent growth in the period.

Still, the Chinese government's outward focus persists.

On the same day as Mr. Fernandez's presentation, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao said that Beijing will use its vast pool of foreign exchange reserves to assist with "the ‘going out’ of our enterprises," the Financial Times reported. 

Atlanta must work to grab the attention of these Chinese investors. The Georgia capital is competing against other states and even countries in the global economy.  Even thought the 1996 Olympics put Atlanta on the map, people still don't know what it has to offer, he added. 

"Atlanta is still not a well-known brand out there as a true, competitive venue for global business," he said. 

The economic morass hasn't trimmed the Metro Atlanta Chamber's number of prospects in China.  Conversations on the most recent trip showed that Chinese appetite for global engagement is still strong, but companies are reluctant "to pull the trigger" on deals until the economy turns around, Mr. Fernandez said.

The chamber faces other hurdles in its China efforts as well.  

Getting the right visas for Chinese executives remains an issue, and it's still tough to meld Eastern and Western business models and ideologies.  Just as American firms must be sensitive to China's government-tinged business environment, Chinese firms must learn more about the hands-off approach of U.S. local and state governments, Mr. Fernandez said.

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