Orlando gets a Chinese Chamber of Commerce

County commissioner says Chinese capital could redevelop older hotels in Kissimmee.
County commissioner says Chinese capital could redevelop older hotels in Kissimmee.

The new Chinese Chamber of Commerce for Central Florida recently held its inaugural event in Orlando, attracting a crowd of about 150, including elected officials, developers, real estate agents and business executives.

One of the guests was Miami developer Joshua Wallack, who is planning to build a rollercoaster-based project on International Drive in Orlando, called Skyplex, and needs to raise approximately $300 million to fund it.

Among other possible Chinese investments in Central Florida, the Kissimmee area needs widespread hotel redevelopment, said Osceola County Commissioner Michael Harford.

The federal government’s EB-5 immigrant investor program can provide 10-year visas to Chinese nationals who travel to the Orlando area or elsewhere in the United States to do business, but there are alternatives to the EB-5 program.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

For example, Chinese nationals and other foreign residents can obtain a tourism visa to travel frequently to the United States for shorter stays, said Benjamin Chang, an employee of the U.S. Consulate office in Beijing.

The leader of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for Central Florida is Andrew Jeng, a Chinese language teacher in Kissimmee who also owns a computer recycling business. [Orlando Sentinel]

— Mike Seemuth