Before Douglas County jumps into a sibling relationship with a location in China, it should explore ways to pool its efforts with other entities that share the county’s interest in developing economic ties in China.

A local communications consultant posed the idea this week of the county seeking a sister county relationship with Jiaxiang County, which has a population of 800,000 and is located between Beijing and Shanghai. The idea drew some positive response from the commission, which agreed to discuss the proposal further at a future meeting.

County Commissioner Bob Johnson is quite right when he says, “You can’t wake up to the world and ignore China,” but the county needs to make sure that striking out on its own to forge a sister county relationship is the most effective action.

The city of Lawrence has two sister cities, Hiratsuka, Japan, and Eutin, Germany, but the county envisions a project that has a stronger business emphasis. It’s true that, in recent years, Lawrence’s sister city program has been most visible for the cultural exchanges it sponsors for local students and officials. However, it seems that when the city initiated its sister cities program, an economic development component was an important part of the concept. If the city still would like to pursue more business ties, it would make sense for the city and county to pool their resources and work together to locate an appropriate “sister” and move forward on an exchange.

Both the city and county also might consider tying into the state’s efforts to seek economic opportunities in China. A 45-member Kansas delegation returned just days ago from a trade mission to China. Among the business, agriculture and education representatives on the trip were two Kansas University officials: Provost David Shulenburger and Sheree Willis, a program director at KU’s Center of East Asian Studies.

Teaming up with state officials, who have a far broader knowledge of the economic possibilities evolving in China, might be more productive for the county than narrowly focusing its efforts on a single Chinese county.

County commissioners are on the right track with plans to invite representatives of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, KU, the state Department of Commerce and the county’s own agriculture committee to sit down and discuss the potential for a sister relationship with China. Such discussions may reveal ways the county’s effort can be far more effective.

Simple exchanges that allow people of different cultures to get to know one another better are valuable, but the county is right to look at ways to take such a relationship to the next level and explore economic, as well as cultural, ties.