Florida-China Association, Inc. (“FCA”) is Florida’s leading private, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of business, economic, educational, tourism, cultural and broad friendship ties between Florida and China. Founded in 2003 and based in Miami, FCA is the state’s only China-related organization truly statewide in scope with members throughout Florida.
To accomplish these objectives, FCA partners with: the Florida Governor’s Office; Enterprise Florida (the state’s official economic development partnership); local economic development and international organizations throughout Florida; and private sector firms and organizations. FCA organizes conferences, seminars, programs and activities both throughout Florida and in China as well, and receives both public and private sector funding to carry out its mission.
FCA also works in close partnership with and is co-located with two other statewide Asia-related NPOs, Florida Delegation, Southeast U.S. Japan Association, Inc. (SEUS/Japan) and Florida-Korea Economic Cooperation Committee, Inc., (FLOR/KOR). FCA also maintains a strategic alliance and close working relationship with Enterprise Florida.
FCA’S two sister organizations, SEUS/Japan and FLOR/KOR, have a long history of service to the State of Florida since 1975 and 1982, respectively, and plan and coordinate Florida’s official participation in joint conference programs with Japan and China. FCA regularly works jointly with its two sister organizations to jointly plan and organize an Asian business development mission to China, Japan and Korea. Members may participate in only the China portion of the mission or opt for the Japan and/or Korea portions as well.
In between in its bi-annual missions to China, FCA plans, organizes, and conducts programs and events statewide to carry out its mission of expanding business, tourism, educational, cultural and friendship ties between Florida and China.
In early November 2003 and again in October 2005, the then Florida Secretary of State, Glenda E. Hood, led Florida’s first official delegations on a mission organized by FCA to China for meetings with senior officials at China’s Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the China Council of the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and top business leaders in Beijing. The 2005 mission also included a visit to the site of the newly opened Florida International University School of Hospitality & Tourism Management campus in Tianjin and meetings with officials of the Tianjin Economic Development Area (TEDA) there. The most recent mission to China was May 2010, and included a joint Florida-China Business Summit program with CCPIT in Beijing, followed by a tour of the World Expo in Shanghai. The next FCA mission to China is tentatively planned for fall 2014.
Key members statewide include: Enterprise Florida; Florida International University; the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce; Holland & Knight Law Firm; and the Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
