Chinese trade delegation makes whirlwind visit

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to nabbing foreign investment, says Windsor’s mayor.

Eddie Francis hosted a Chinese trade delegation on a whirlwind visit Tuesday morning to Windsor before stops in Toronto, Orlando, Fla. and San Francisco.

“We should not be afraid of competing against big-name cities ... they’ve got the big names, but I’d suggest we’re hungrier,” Francis told reporters after the visit of the group from Hunan province.

After welcoming his guests on behalf of Windsor’s 200,000 residents, Francis got a greeting in return from a delegation representing the interests of a province with roughly twice the population of Canada.

“On behalf of 70 million Hunan citizens — hello,” Xie Chao Ying, the political head of the Economic Committee of Hunan Province, told reporters.

Through a translator, Xie said there was “a wide range of potential collaboration” between Hunan and WindsorEssex.

Xie, who was joined by executives representing several Chinese corporations including automotive manufacturer Geely, said his delegation was interested in potential trading partnerships in the automotive, agricultural and renewable-energy sectors.

“This is how economic development starts,” said Francis. He credits previous efforts, including foreign visits by Windsor officials, for having created “a level of awareness of this region.”

Francis said it can typically take 18 months or more for such initial contacts to eventually bear fruit in the form of new foreign investment and jobs.

Xie, who is a politician back home, said his province shares Ontario and Canada’s interest in developing alternative energy sources, such as wind power.

He said Hunan may have products and technology that could be of use here and that there could be potential in economic collaboration. He cited locally produced wines as a potential agricultural product that could be exported to Hunan.

“There’s interest because we have a lot to offer,” said Rakesh Naidu, vice-president of business development with the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation.

Naidu, who joined the mayor in meeting privately with the Hunan delegates, will be visiting a number of Chinese cities later this month to continue spreading the word for Windsor and Essex County. He said those meetings will be with government officials and others who “have stated an interest in investing in North America.”