The red section on this map represents Tiajin, the fourth largest of five major municipalities in China. The city of 15 million recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Corpus Christ. Map adapted from WikiCommons image.
Corpus Christi formally joined hands with Tianjin, China, Thursday, Oct. 23, when representatives from the two cities met to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The ceremonial signing at the Solomon P. Ortiz International Center signifies an agreement to promote a cultural exchange and friendly contact between the two regions to the benefit of both.
Tianjin is the home-base of Tianjin Pipe Co. (TPCO), which is building a $1 billion seamless steel pipe manufacturing facility near Corpus Christi. The San Patricio County site, which is 253 acres of what was once cotton fields, was chosen in 2007 over 70 different locations around the country. The completed plant will represent the largest single investment by a Chinese company in a U.S. manufacturing facility.
People attending the signing included State Representative Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi) and Port Commission Chair Judy Hawley.
"As the port continues to develop the infrastructure needed to support the region's economic development efforts, it is important to build strategic business partnerships to facilitate the consolidation of negotiations, and also promote and exchange knowledge to create favorable conditions for new business opportunities for the Coast Bend," Hawley said. "
Also attending were representatives from the Tianjin Commission of Commerce, People's Republic of China.
Estimated boost to the local economy from the TPCO plant could be as high as $2.7 billion when completely up and running, says TPCO America Director of Administration J.J. Johnston. The company broke ground on the current building in 2011. The entire project should be completed by mid-2016.
Tianjin is one of the five national central cities in the People's Republic of China and, like Corpus Christi, is situated on the sea. The population is around 15 million, which makes it a little more like New York City or Los Angeles, however. The people speak a dialect of Mandarin Chinese and pride themselves on their seafood delicacies and culture: The city is home base for the popular Beijing Opera.
