Guangxi province native Lindsay Liu has represented Georgia's business interests in Beijing since April. Despite the economic downturn, the U.S.-China trade relationship is still strong and Georgia's prospects there look promising. CLICK TO WATCH her discuss the state's efforts to increase tourism and attract Chinese investment.

The managing director of Georgia’s trade and tourism office in Beijing remains confident the state can attract investment from China and boost exports there despite the world’s current financial woes.

“The U.S. and China have close economic ties, so obviously the recent financial crisis draws a lot attention from Chinese companies and Chinese entrepreneurs, but I still see the potential for Chinese companies to continue to invest overseas,” said Lindsay Liu, Georgia’s first full-time business representative in China.

Ms. Liu, a native of Guangxi province, was named head of the Beijing Georgia Business Advisory Center Co. Ltd., in April, when Gov. Sonny Perdue led the state’s first business mission to the Chinese capital. 

The center is the newest of Georgia’s 10 international offices.  Along with drawing more Chinese tourists and opening new markets for the Georgia exports, the office seeks to draw investment to the state.

Despite the world’s economic slowdown, Ms. Liu believes the time is ripe for such an effort.  As China has opened its markets, investors there have slowly begun to wield their capital on shores other than their own. 

In 2007, Chinese companies poured more than $22 billion into projects in other countries. 

That’s roughly 10 times more annual outbound investment than the country averaged between 1990-2000, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Part of Ms. Liu’s job is to help steer some of that cash into Georgia’s coffers. 

Georgia exported more than $1.6 billion in goods to China in 2007, making it the state’s second largest export destination behind Canada. 

Three Chinese manufacturers last year began building factories in Georgia representing $75 million in combined investment.

But the country still lags far behind many others as a direct investor in the state.  

South Korea-based Kia Motors Corp.’s new auto manufacturing plant alone will infuse $1.2 billion, and many of the more than 300 Japanese companies with operations here have been investing in Georgia for decades.

As Chinese government and business leaders become more aware of Georgia’s strategic location, advanced logistics infrastructure and quality workforce, Ms. Liu believes China could join those other players in a more significant way.

Despite its capital’s standing as an Olympic city, Georgia is not as popular as other states like California and New York, so it’s “very important to build our brand awareness,” she told GlobalAtlanta in a video interview during her first visit to Atlanta.

During her weeklong stay, Ms. Liu met with Georgia Department of Economic Development staff and stakeholders in the city.  She also underwent standard training for state employees. 

The office she oversees is part of a broader strategic blitz to build relationships throughout China, which has posted double-digit gross domestic product growth for the past three years.

Relationships are key in a land where business deals often hinge on “guanxi,” a Chinese term that has crept into the vernacular of businesspeople who want their China ventures to succeed.

Its meaning entails relationships or connections that open doors that provide the social foundation necessary for financial investments to take off.  

Establishing the state office, Ms. Liu said, was an important move to show Chinese authorities how serious Georgia is about its interests there. 

“I think it's very important to set up an office on the ground because in China, relationship is critically important, to have a face-to-face interaction with the local government, the central government as well as the trade organizations which are our partners,” she said.

Ms. Liu has walked this ground before.  Working for St. Louis-based international public relations firm Fleishman-Hilliard, she visited many American cities and helped clients navigate China’s sometimes-tricky business and legal environment. 

Before that, she worked with Shangri-La Group, which she called the largest hotel chain in the Asia-Pacific region. 

She is joined in the office by Michael Su, a University of Georgia graduate who now serves as the state’s commercial representative in Beijing.  With his help, Ms. Liu also seeks to boost the state’s exports in China.

Although better-known coastal cities like Beijing and Shanghai still offer valid opportunities, second- and third-tier cities in the interior offer vast, largely untapped markets for Georgia products.

Succeeding in these areas requires the right business partners and cultural know-how that Ms. Liu and the Georgia staff say they’re ready to provide.

Tourism is also high on Ms. Liu’s agenda.  She has traveled to tourism shows in China with Kevin Langston, Georgia’s assistant commissioner for tourism. 

To promote the state as a destination, she’s making the most of the Olympic camaraderie Atlanta now shares with China, and she’s dropping author Margaret Mitchell’s name in emphasizing Georgia’s Southern heritage.

“Gone With the Wind” became one of the most popular books in China in the 1980s after the country opened up to the West, she said.

Georgia is working to capture the value of the expected wave of Chinese tourists the U.S. expects in the coming years.   

To do so, the state must employ the same cultural sensitivity its businesses use in their dealings in China.   Chinese signage, restaurants and a robust community are key, she said.

“When I travel to a foreign country, if I can see my own language, I feel more at home and comfortable,” Ms. Liu said.