Alameda Point, a former US naval air station in northern California, is looking to lure Chinese investors and developers to kickstart its seemingly stagnant economy, according to Stewart Chen, a chiropractor who will run for a spot on the Alameda City Council in November's elections.

"If China is willing to work with us, this is probably the last major piece of property in northern California that can be developed," he said.

Chen was born in the Philippines and migrated to the US when he was a teenager. As he is a third-generation descendant of a Chinese family from Xiamen, a major city on the southeast coast of China, he is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien.

"In the past 10 years, China has focused a lot on solar power, high-tech industries and environmentally friendly technology, so we can do exchanges in trade, technology and business development," he told China Daily.

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The latest developer to tackle Alameda Point was SunCal, based in Irvine, which submitted plans to the city in 2008 calling for 4,500 units of housing, two schools, a library, 145 acres of open space, a 58-acre sports field complex, 15 miles of bike paths, a ferry terminal and other amenities, according to local media. But the company pulled out due to conflicts with the city over how the housing units could be built, according to Chen.

Despite the previous failures, he believes that if China comes in and helps to develop Alameda Point, "it can be another Silicon Valley and a free-trade zone".

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"If I win the campaign in November, I would have a better position and platform to get to China for a potential partnership for the development of Alameda Point," Chen said.

He has visited Alameda's sister cities Shanghai, Wuxi and Dalian several times over the past 10 years, and learned how to communicate with Chinese officials and businesspeople.

"You can have all the talent in the world, you can be distinguished in business, but you cannot bridge the gap if you don't have guanxi (social connections)," he said.

"Guanxi is basically the driving force for China. You have to have that connection. It's a tool that officials can use when we come back from China and bring in potential partners."

Alameda will work with China to streamline cultural differences and business practices, Chen said. He also noted Chinese developers have to understand they need to work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the US Navy to clean up some of the waste left in Alameda Point.

"The bulk of the responsibility is with the US Navy and EPA, but we expect certain responsibilities from the developer," he said.