Commissioners Court on Tuesday created a formal structure for two-way economic exchange and trade between the greater Bexar County region and the Zhejiang Province communities of Wenzhou and Jiaxing in Southeast China. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and the Honorable Minister Chen Jinyu will serve as the first board chairmen of the “Wenzhou Bexar Regional Collaboration Council,” or WeBeRCC.

In October 2009 Chairman Chen Jinyu with the Council of State Counsellors in China visited San Antonio to explore the viability of a formal economic trade partnership. That gesture was reciprocated by a delegation led by Commissioner Kevin Wolff visiting Beijing and Zhejiang Province in December. While there, the delegation discussed a formal structure for trade and economic exchange, and signed memoranda of understanding with officials in Beijing and Wenzhou.

“With this council we have formally opened the door to trade and exchange between Bexar County and the Chinese communities of Wenzhou and Jiaxing,” Commissioner Wolff said. “Wenzhou is considered one of the strongest entrepreneurial and most dynamic cities in China, and it shows through their advances in biomedical sciences and auto manufacturing. So there are plenty of opportunities for Bexar County companies to do business there and for companies in Zhejiang Province to come here.”

With the creation of the WeBeRCC, Judge Wolff and Minister Chen Jinyu will each appoint seven members to the board of the council. The board members will be a mix of

political figures and business people. From there the board will begin to examine Bexar County and the two Chinese cities to determine which companies or industries would benefit in either region. The council also will look at its potential role in expanding on Bexar County’s strategic initiatives, such as the Texas-Mexico Automotive Super Cluster, or TMASC.

The Chinese delegation included representatives from the Counsellor’s Office of the State Council (COSC), Wenzhou Municipal People’s Government and Jiaxing Municipal People’s Government. The COSC is a key institution of the national Chinese government that develops and provides government officials at the national, prefecture and local levels with policy advice and guidance to benefit the burgeoning privately owned corporations that are entering the global market.

Article courtesy of Bexar County Commissioners Court.