How NCIC Came to Be
NCIC was founded in 2014 by two people who believed that New Castle County, Delaware was dramatically underrepresented on the international stage — and that the right relationships, built the right way, could change that.
The founding insight was straightforward: Delaware sits at the geographic center of the most economically productive corridor in the United States, between New York and Washington D.C. It has world-class pharmaceutical and chemical companies, a growing port, a top-tier university system, and one of the most business-friendly legal environments on earth. Almost no one outside the region knew any of this.
NCIC set out to change that — starting with China, where a growing middle class, massive industrial capacity, and a government actively seeking American partnerships created a natural opening.
Within months of founding, NCIC had established contact with Qiqihar — a major industrial city of nearly 6 million people in northeastern China — and began laying the groundwork for what would become the first and only county-level sister city agreement between New Castle County and a Chinese municipality.
In November 2014, Mayor Zhe Sun of Qiqihar led an official delegation to Delaware and signed the agreement. In July 2015, NCIC coordinated the return trip — bringing County Executive Thomas Gordon and a Delaware delegation to Qiqihar for a week of meetings with Chinese industry, education, and government leaders.
By 2016, NCIC had facilitated meetings between Delaware leadership and executives from some of China's largest enterprises — including companies ranked among the world's top shipping, construction, and industrial firms.
After a period of dormancy following the 2016 election cycle, NCIC is reactivating in 2026 — with new county leadership, a clearer mission, and a significantly expanded vision for what Delaware-China partnership can look like.
