Panel discussion focuses on US-China investment ties

There's a growing public awareness of the size of investment between China and the US, as well as greater coverage in the US about trade between the world's two largest economies, according to a panel of financial experts.

"Today the New York Post had two mentions of China that are very prominent," Keith Danko, a founding member of New Jersey-based Witherspoon Consulting Partners LLC, said on Monday. "Right on the second page an article about Chinese tourism increasing here in New York City says: ‘the city's most coveted tourists hail from China and … the number of tourists from China jumped 19 percent in just the last year'.

?"The fact that information on China is finding its way into the papers tells you that the consciousness of the public is very well aware of what's happening," he said. And the dissemination of information on business between the US and China is changing perceptions about the trading partnership.

Danko served as moderator for a discussion on bilateral trade relations between the US and China, hosted by the Yingke Law firm at the Harvard Club in New York on Monday.

Chinese investment in the US doubled in 2013 to $14 billion from 2012, including large acquisitions in the food, energy and real estate sectors, according to a January report by the Rhodium Group.

"With its large market, educated workforce and world-leading technology and brands, the US has strong appeal to the next generation of Chinese outbound investors," the report said.

Most of the panelists at Monday's forum were upbeat about the prospects for trade between China and the US.

Key to the trade relationship is the notion of trust, according to Dan Dement, director and principal at the equity management firm of Los Angeles Capital.

"We have similar goals in terms of our businesses," Dement said.

"I believe that venues like this are the perfect opportunity to build trust," he added. "There's no obligation to be here, so this is a place where you can come in, meet and greet and ultimately build that trust that we're all looking for in terms of our investment business."

Jerry Bratkovich, a managing director at the human capital management firm ZRG Partners Inc and a panelist, said successful investing boils down to one simple question: "What type of investor are you?"

"Are you an economic investor looking to play the odds, or are you a strategic investor that wants to put money into something that will grow?" Bratkovich said. "Depending on what your philosophy is, there are some good plays in the food sector."

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