WHILE PASSING THROUGH BEIJING THIS PAST WEEKEND, MARCH 16-17, LIN LIJIAN, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF ATLANTA-BASED SINO-US COMMERCIAL GROUP, DROPPED OFF A LETTER AT THE BEIJING MUNICIPAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

THIS “STATEMENT OF INTENT” FROM GERALD L. BARTELS, PRESIDENT OF THE METRO ATLANTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IS THE LATEST IN A FLURRY OF AGREEMENTS AND PROPOSED AGREEMENTS BINDING ATLANTA CLOSER TO CITIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD IN A WEB OF STRATEGIC ALLIANCES.

LAST WEEK, MR. BARTELS SIGNED IN ATLANTA AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE LOCAL CHAMBER AND THE TECHNOPOLE DE L’AGGLOMERATION TOULOUSAINE, AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY IN TOULOUSE, FRANCE WITH WHICH ATLANTA ALREADY HAS A SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP.

THIS AGREEMENT GOES FAR BEYOND THE “STATEMENT OF INTENT” TAKEN TO BEIJING, INCLUDING A COMMITMENT TO PROMOTE LOCAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, INDUSTRY, TRADE AND INVESTMENT AND TO EXCHANGE VIEWS ON ISSUES OF COMMON INTEREST AS WELL AS TO PROMOTE FRIENDLY RELATIONS AND GOODWILL BETWEEN TOULOUSE AND GEORGIA.

  MEANWHILE, THE LETTER DROPPED OFF IN BEIJING STATES THAT THE TWO CHAMBERS SHOULD  ESTABLISH FORMAL TIES, AND REFERS  TO BOTH ATLANTA AND BEIJING AS “INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CENTERS,“ GATEWAYS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES” AND “CATALYSTS FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.”

MR. LIJIAN LED A DELEGATION OF A DOZEN OR SO U.S. BUSINESSMEN TO CHINA RECENTLY AND VISITED BOTH HIS HOMETOWN OF NANJING AND BEIJING.  HIS COMPANY SINO-US COMMERCIAL GROUP SPECIALIZES IN MAKING TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS TO CHINA AND ASSISTS IN MAKING INTRODUCTIONS AND PROMOTING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN U.S. AND CHINESE COMPANIES.

THE AGREEMENT WITH TOULOUSE REPRESENTS THE SEVENTH FORMAL STRATEGIC ALLIANCE THE CHAMBER HAS SIGNED.  LAST YEAR AGREEMENTS WERE SIGNED WITH CHAMBERS IN RIO DE JANEIRO, NICE AND MANCHESTER.

NOR IS THE TREND OVER.  ON THURSDAY, MARCH 28, HEMANT S. SONAWALA, PRESIDENT OF THE INDO-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHICH HAS MORE THAN 4,000 MEMBER FIRMS IN INDIA, WILL BE VISITING ATLANTA FROM BOMBAY TO SIGN ANOTHER FORMAL AGREEMENT WITH MR. BARTELS.  AND AN ALLIANCE IS SCHEDULED TO BE SIGNED WITH NEW SOUTH WALES IN AUSTRALIA ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL NANCY GREGORY AT (404) 880-9000.