Zhao Zhenge, general representative of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) USA, gives opening remarks at the Business Dialogues on Invest in America in Washington on Monday. (Yuan Yuan / For China Daily)
"I believe Select USA is not only about coming to the U.S. to invest, but also about selecting U.S. products and services and bringing them back to China," said Jianrong Ma, global vice-president of JD.com.
Ma said the company hopes to open a channel for U.S. brands to enter the Chinese market, he said.
"Business activities between the United States and China, the two largest economies in the world, influence trade patterns and economic activity across the globe and constitute a major component of global activity," Zhao said.
"The U.S. is a rather big country," said U.S. Department of Commerce SelectU.S.A Program Officer John McKiel, "which makes the investment environment complicated for the investors especially foreign investors".
"We are here to help you understand the U.S. before making any investments here. Since the laws, regulations and policies vary from state to state, we offer you representatives specialized in different states whom you may contact," he said.
Brian Whisler from the Baker & McKenzie LLP law firm discussed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which was passed in the 1970s but had only been used extensively for the past few years. He also touched on aspects of compliance risk for investors.
"There's no doubt that investment allocation is the concern to you as investors. Once you make the investment, you then need to think about how to make distributions," said John P. Lin, CEO of CapStar Commercial Realty.
Investors need to first decide which city and what industry they want to invest in. After making that decision, they need a professional team to handle legal, risk assessment, marketing and other issues, he said.
