FirstPathway Weblog

Milwaukee- On Tuesday March 16, 2010 the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Ningbo Sub-Council (CCPIT) in joint with the China Chamber of Commerce Ningbo Chamber (CCOIC) finalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce ( MMAC ).

In a closed meeting, CCPIT/CCOIC Chairman Zhengwei Gu and MMAC President Tim Sheehy signed an MOU which aims to bridge cultural, trade and economic exchange between Ningbo, China and Milwaukee, USA. Ningbo is Milwaukee’s informal sister city.

Other attendees were the Chief of the Ningbo Department of International Exhibition Mr. Wei FU, Milwaukee Deputy Commissioner Martha Brown, MMAC Vice President Peter Beitzel, Ningbo Ambassador to the United States Bangjie He, FPP Chairman and CEO Bob Kraft, FPP Partner Dick Zagorski, and attorneys Julie Lee and Tom Gehl.

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Our trip to China was very successful. In Shanghai we met with five Immigration Agencies .These agencies represent Chinese citizens who have a desire to immigrate into another country. There is growing interest in China to pursue immigration into the United States. The US EB-5 program is a great vehicle that enables qualified individuals to secure a permanent Green Card, and then, after three years, qualify for US Citizenship. With our partner Scott Harrison and his Shanghai based staff we negotiated contracts with three of the Immigration Agencies. These partnerships will result in FirstPathway Partners having a strong, proactive, business development reach into the robust China market.

Our visit to Ningbo was very fruitful. Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Ningbo, China have formed a Sister City relationship. Over the past two years, both cities have exchanged delegations to pursue mutually beneficial business relationships. We participated, as representatives from Milwaukee, in the 10^th Annual Zhejiang Investment & Trade Symposium, and the 7^th Annual China International Consumer Goods Fair. Discussions revolved around numerous opportunities for Ningbo and Milwaukee. Ningbo is sending a delegation to Milwaukee on July 21^st. We, along with all of our Milwaukee associates, look forward to hosting them and continuing productive dialogues.