Chinese City Opens Doors To L.A.

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You know Beijing and Shanghai. You might have even heard of Shenzhen, the land of iPhones. Now, the city of Zhuhai in Southern China is ready to introduce itself to L.A. executives and investors.

The city last month opened an office in downtown Los Angeles after the apparent success of its first overseas economic development office, which opened last year in Germany.

While Chinese industry is often associated with pollution and kickbacks, Devorah Worch, the North America chief representative for Zhuhai Commercial Service – and currently the only employee in the downtown office – says Zhuhai is trying to stand out by defying those stereotypes.

“Zhuhai is a really clean city,” she said. “It’s a tourist destination in and of itself.”

Worch says her role is to raise awareness of Zhuhai, one of China’s original special economic zones, and build relationships with local trade organizations and businesses.

She noted that a bridge set to open next year will provide a highway link from Zhuhai to Hong Kong via Macau, further promoting development.

While Worch said Zhuhai has become somewhat of a tourism hub, with Hong Kong Disneyland nearby, there’s a lot more to Zhuhai than vacationers.

“There’s a bonded warehouse. There’s shipbuilding. General aviation. A high-tech industry,” she said.

– Matt Pressberg

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