The proposal by NewMarket Technology Inc. of Dallas surfacedyesterday during a presentation to a select group of companies inBeijing. The plan is still preliminary, with the location androll-out timeframe for the Chinese Consumer Market Commerce Centerstill part of the unknown, Richard Lutz, NewMarket's investorrelations director, tells GlobeSt.com.

What is known is "a lot of manufacturers want to break into theUS market and just don't know how," Lutz says, adding the team hadbeen "exploring" New Orleans for investment when the idea startedto gel. Lutz says the ground-up project will be a cultural andmarketing B2B portal, which could include showrooms and call centercomponents. He says the commerce center is aimed at creating "atwo-way street" for trading with a bricks-and-mortar presence on USsoil as an entry portal for Chinese firms.

NewMarket as a minority partner for the project yesterdaylaunched NewMarket China Inc. on the Over-The-Counter BulletinBoard, opening the door for the center to be a US corporation.NewMarket touts itself a pioneer in financing early stage businessinitiatives.