State Sen. Sam Zamarripa, D-Atlanta, is continuing to work with Deloitte Consulting to raise Georgia’s visibility in China and promote Atlanta as the site for a Chinese consulate general, he recently told GlobalAtlanta.
“We want to move to the next stage where we can raise Atlanta’s visibility as a consulate because with the office comes a lot more understanding and familiarity with the state and the Southeast,” he said during a telephone interview.
He also said that he thinks the consulate may be established in the next 24 months since there is interest from both the Chinese and U.S. governments.
Last year, Mr. Zamarripa launched the Georgia-China Future Initiative, a public-private partnership, which submitted a report to Gov. Sonny Perdue that recommended the state actively lobby for a Chinese consulate here.
A new committee is to be formed that will include representatives of companies doing business in China as well as those considering entering that market, he added. He also would like to have representatives from academic institutions aligned with Chinese universities.
The committee would collaborate with local chambers of commerce including the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Zamarripa said that the GeorgiaChina Future Initiative’s Web site would be developed to include Chinese language capabilities.
He may be reached by e-mail at szamarripa@legis.state.ga.us.