RESTON, VA-Net lease company Calkain Cos. issteadily growing its international footprint: the company has justinked an exclusive partnership with the China-basedPlatinum Investment Corp. to source deals in thatmarket. This transaction follows a recent deal it forged with anundisclosed brokerage firm in Miami to focus on SouthAmerica.

EVP David Sobelman returned from China lastweek, he tells GlobeSt.com exclusively--and already there is some$50 million of transactions in the company’spipeline. “This has been a deal long in the making, however it'smoving very fast for us,” he says. One of the partnership’sgoals--which Sobelman describes as lofty but realistic--is togenerate $100 million a year from the venture.With $50 million already under consideration, he observes, it isdoable.

Calkain hopes to expand into other foreign markets as well.Europe, says Sobelman, is a target region that thefirm has often considered. China, though, will likely be the marketto keep its pipeline full for the foreseeable future. For all thetalk of a hard landing with the economy, there has also been plentyof anecdotal evidence that China nationals see US property as abargain.