‘ More active role’ seen for Chinese companies in US infrastructure build- out

US President Donald Trump has pledged a massive domestic infrastructure plan in the world’s largest economy with a price tag of $ 1 trillion, which may bring increasing opportunities for Chinese companies, US experts said in New York on Wednesday ( US time).

“The Trump administration has been very focused on investing in infrastructure, including public- private partnerships ( PPP) ... We are open for business and welcome Chinese companies to participate and bid for the projects,” said Patric Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Foye said that as his agency oversees much of the regional transportation infrastructure in the two states, the Port Authority has bridges, tunnels, airports and seaports, which are “revenue- generating assets” and it “expects to attract capital from all over the world, including China.”

Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on US- China Relations, agreed.

“When I look at the $ 1 trillion price tag that President Trump has put on the infrastructure needs of the US ... I looked at the $ 3 trillion reserve in China, I looked at the expertise that exists in China and I looked at what China Construction America and other Chinese construction companies are doing, creating jobs in the US,” said Orlins.

China Construction America Inc ( CCA), a wholly owned subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corp, is among the Chinese companies that have been playing an active role in the US construction market.

Founded in 1985, CCA has 2,000 employees, of whom 98 percent are local employees, according to the company’s President Yuan Ning.

Yuan said the company has successfully completed six bridge projects in the New York metropolitan area and ranks No. 10 among bridge contractors across the US.

CCA is fully funded and ready to get involved in more PPP projects, he noted.

Foye said that Chinese companies like CCA should focus not only on capital- raising but also on engineering solutions and creativity when bidding on a project.

“The continued growth and success of the Chinese firms in the US will eventually give them a competitive advantage in the PPP market,” said Foye.