November 2020 Newsletter
Winter is Coming
Now that we're battening down the hatches against the cold and the 'rona, we have more time at home to attend online events!

In this issue of the Greater Columbus Chinese Chamber of Commerce newsletter, you will find the following:

  • Chinese Chamber Member Spotlight: Mid-American Global Ventures

  • Chinese Chamber Member News

  • Chinese Chamber News

  • Community News

  • Upcoming 2020 Chinese Chamber (in bold) and partner events (in italics):
  • 12/3 Investment Dialogue, with JobsOhio & Jiangsu Dept. of Commerce
  • 12/7 Views from Former Governors: U.S.-China Subnational Relations, with NCUSCR & USHCA
  • 12/10 Pan-Asia Business Forum
  • 12/15 New Reality of Doing Business in China, with USHCA
  • 12/16 US China Series: Year in Review
  • 12/17 Yunnan's Sustainable Development Model, with USHCA

Interesting fact: On December 1, 1887, the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking was signed, formally giving Macao to Portugal in perpetuity.

One of the "Unequal Treaties" that followed the Opium Wars, this treaty was one of several that forced the Chinese to accept foreign control of Chinese territory as well as the sale of opium to Chinese consumers.

On December 20, 1999, Portugal returned Macao to the PRC, where it is a special administrative region and now home to a casino industry whose pre-Covid annual Gross Gaming Revenue is more than three times Las Vegas'.
Member Spotlight
MidAmerican Global Ventures is now part of Value Recovery Group! MAG Ventures is an EB-5 regional center, a company that helps overseas individuals to invest in job-creating projects in the US.

For over twenty five years, Value Recovery Group has served as a trusted advisor to government agencies and private clients on diverse and challenging projects, ranging from the management of distressed asset portfolios, to the design and implementation of critical financial programs.

Through their leading edge internal resources and relationships, combined with our talent for creating constructive teaming arrangements, Value Recovery Group offers a full suite of financial and recovery service capabilities.

Global Recovery Group, a VRG affiliate company, works with companies from around the world - including China - to resolve contract payment and other business issues.
Member News
Columbus School of Chinese 2021 Term 1 Courses Now Available
You can now register for the Columbus School of Chinese's Term 1, which begins on January 4th and ends in early March (date depends on course). Courses include:

  • Online
  • Youth (Ages 6-13)
  • Adult

NEW ADULT BEGINNER CLASS

The CSC has also announced a new Beginner online class starting Term 1, 2021! Classes will meet Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30pm, Jan 6-Mar 10.

For detailed schedule, pricing, and registration, visit the CSC's website.
Using their local expertise and staff, Morrison Medical offers contract manufacturing services, including sewing, assembly and packaging are some of the services they are able to provide.

  • Their sewing operations include pattern stitching, bar tacking and straight sewing

  • With foam, they do everything with foam except the actual production: they hot melt, coat, cover and assemble many items that have foam components

  • They also assemble many types of kits and have the ability to assemble kits to our customer's specifications.
For more details about these services, please contact Morrison Medical.
The National East Asian Language Resource Center at OSU offers a free online learning module with which intermediate learners of Chinese can supplement their classroom learning (such as found at the Columbus School of Chinese).

The module, called Chinese: Living in the Culture, can be found at http://clc.nealrc.org/ and one of the videos even features [a much younger] Pat McAloon, executive director of the Chinese Chamber!
Chinese Chamber News
In case you missed it last month, the Greater Columbus Chinese Chamber of Commerce is now a member of the US Heartland China Association (USHCA).

The USHCA is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2003 by U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson (IL), lawyer and professor John Rogers, and Governor Bob Holden (MO), former Chairman of the Midwest Governors Association.

Their mission is to foster and support a positive, productive, and mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and China by creating more channels of collaboration and opportunities for economic growth in the American Heartland Region.

Members of the Columbus Chinese Chamber of Commerce enjoy a discounted membership rate when becoming a member of the USHCA: $200/year for our members vs. the regular rate of $350/year.

Membership in the USHCA offers:
  • Access to members-only events
  • Access to members-only online content
  • Qualification to be represented on one of the USHCA's committees. These committees, composed of decision-makers and thought-leaders nationwide, work with Governor Holden and the management team to create economic opportunities throughout the region.

Columbus Chinese Chamber members interested in joining the USHCA, please contact executive director Pat McAloon for your USHCA membership registration discount code.

Readers who are not yet Columbus Chinese Chamber members, you can become a member through our website or contact Pat McAloon for more information.
The Columbus Chinese Chamber now offers workplace cross-cultural communication training.

Delivered by a team of experts from Chinese Chamber members Porter Wright and Columbus School of Chinese, the training is offered as a series of 3, 6, or 9 one-hour sessions that help employees recognize and adapt to the many different styles of communication that exist in the modern workplace.

Better communication leads to improved trust, which leads to increased productivity with internal and external clients.

If your company is interested in this program, please contact Pat McAloon for more details.
On November 19th, the Chinese Chamber was honored present in Urban Accelerator X's Ohio Small Business Day online telethon ("videoathon"?) to support urban entrepreneurs.

Executive Director Pat McAloon shared with the audience in this YouTube+Facebook livestream (recording here) how participation in Chinese Chamber events can connect entrepreneurs to people with great experience and advice, as well as to connections to potential partners.
Community News
Greater Columbus Sister Cities Expands Connections
Our current connections in Tainan, left to right:
Specialist Shirley Chiu, Section Chief Chen I-Chun, Pat McAloon, Monica Xia
Columbus Sister Cities' primary point of contact in the Tainan city government, Jenny Chen, has transferred to the Taoyuan government. Instead of "losing" a Tainan contact, we have gained a new friend in Taoyuan!

Taoyuan is west of Taipei and is home to both Taiwan's primary international airport (TPE), and one of Taiwan's main industrial areas. Taoyuan leads Taiwan in industrial output, and is a major hub of semiconductor manufacturing.

If you would like to reach out to our friends in Tainan or to Jenny in Taoyuan, please contact Eric McGraw, chair of the Hefei/Tainan committee of Columbus Sister Cities.
Recent Chinese Chamber Events
11/19/20 Nursing in the US and Greater China in 2020
In this webinar hosted by the US Heartland China Association and supported by Eastern Michigan University and the Chinese Chamber, the distinguished panel below talked about the experiences of nurses during Covid-19, the construction of UPMC's new general hospital in Chengdu, and collaborative research and nurse education being done between EMU and both the PRC and Taiwan.

The panelists were:

  • Dr. Pamela Cipriano, VP, International Council of Nurses; Dean, UVA School of Nursing

  • Siew-Lee Grand-Clément, VP, Clinical Operation, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center International; UPMC China Chief Nurse and Quality Officer

  • Dr. Tsu-Yin Wu, Professor and PhD program director, Eastern Michigan University School of Nursing


You can watch a recording of this event on the USHCA's YouTube channel.
Upcoming Chinese Chamber Events
This event, brought to you by Chinese Chamber member City of Dublin, is a joint effort of the Japan-America Society of Central Ohio (JASCO) and the Asian Indian American Business Group (AIABG).

Our expert panel will share information about the business environment in, and opportunities for, working with China, Japan, and India:

  • Vinita Mehra, Director, Chinese Chamber member Kegler Brown

  • Dave Cook, Partner, Chinese Chamber member Vorys

  • Diana Jia, Attorney, Chinese Chamber member Porter Wright, and Chinese Chamber board member

  • Michael Bowman, Senior Manager, Chinese Chamber member Schneider Downs

Upcoming Partner Events
12/3/20 JobsOhio and Jiangsu Department of Commerce Investment Dialogue
To promote economic & investment exchanges and cooperation between Jiangsu Province and the State of Ohio, the Jiangsu Department of Commerce and JobsOhio, together with the Jiangsu Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade have organized a two-way investment dialogue between Jiangsu and Ohio.

The event focuses on province-to-state investment facilitation and promotion on business environment with an aim to build a multi-party communication and exchange platform to encourage investment cooperation between Chinese and American companies.

As of the end of 2019, Jiangsu had the highest per capita GDP of any province in China.

Please use the information below to participate at 8pm EST on December 3rd:


Passcode: 888888
12/7/20 Views from Former Governors: U.S.-China Subnational Relations
The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the U.S. Heartland China Association (USHCA) invite you to join former governor and current chairman and CEO of USHCA Bob Holden (Missouri, D, 2001-2005), along with former governors Jon Huntsman, Jr. (Utah, R, 2005-2011), Gary Locke (Washington, D, 1997-2005), and Rick Snyder (Michigan, R, 2011-2019) on December 7 at 1:30 p.m. EST as they discuss the consequences of bilateral tensions in each of their respective states and how revitalizing subnational relationships and cooperation can help pave a path forward.

12/15/20 US Heartland China Association Webinar
How can American companies continue to thrive in the Chinese market? How can the U.S. and China find ways to prosper together beyond 2020?

The USHCA is honored to host Craig Allen, President of the US – China Business Council, and Albert Xie, Vice President Public Policy and Government Relations GM China, in this dialogue focused on these important questions.

Member-only discussions will follow after the public program.

12/16/20 US China Series: Year in Review
2020 has been a turbulent and unpredictable year for the world’s most crucial bilateral relationship. The United States and China entered 2020 with an ongoing trade war, the deepest global recession since World War II, an array of military and security issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both countries are closing 2020 with a newly elected President in the United States, Chinese regulators halting the largest IPO launch in history, the formation of the largest trade bloc in history—the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and a potential vaccine for COVID-19.

Join us for a discussion on a year in review on US China relations. During this discussion, our panelist will offer their analysis and insights on the impact of 2020 for the future of US China relations.

12/17/20 US Heartland China Association Webinar
Twelve years ago more than 40% of Yunnan’s rural population had no direct access to a paved road. Since then, massive infrastructure development and a government-led poverty eradication campaign have transformed the countryside. Yunnan also rose to be a leader in sustainable development. 

In this special event, we will hear from our two speakers share their unique perspectives based on their deep experiences in Yunnan:

  • Matthew Chitwood, Fellow with the Institute of Current World Affairs
  • Brian Linden, Owner, Linden Galleries and China Centre


For details and registration, click here or the image above.
Chinese Chamber Members
Click below to visit our members page, where you can click through to any member's website.

Special thanks to Chinese Chamber charter members Huntington Bank and One Columbus.
Keep up with news and events by following our LinkedIn
The Chinese Chamber regularly posts news and events that may be of interest to people on our mailing list. Follow us today!