China Program

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

The Wayne County China Program (WCCP) was created by the Wayne County Economic Development growth Engine (EDGE) to spur investment and create and retain jobs in SE Michigan by leveraging the abundance of auto-related companies found in the region. There are more engineers per capita in metropolitan Detroit than in any other city in the nation. Michigan has the 4th highest tech workforce in the nation and is 2nd in the critical area of Research and Development. This makes it an excellent choice for investment by Chinese companies seeking to retain the highest level of talent for their growing automotive market. Wayne County is also rapidly becoming the nation’s capital for electric battery R&D. The Great Lakes also provide an economic advantage to manufacturing by providing inexpensive transportation for raw materials and finished goods as well as abundant water for industrial processes. WCCP was designed to retain as much of the talent in the region as possible by creating new investments resulting in new jobs and retaining jobs primarily in the automotive sector. WCCP is also playing a role in the evolving partnership between the largest economy in the world (US) and the second largest economy in the world (China) by fostering relationships with high-level decision makers in the Chinese government. These relationships help build the balance of trust and grow global cooperation between the two most powerful economies.