Delaware's Biden appointee played a crucial role in attracting Chinese businesses to the state: 'Longtime friends'

A Biden appointee, who has given significant funds to Biden's campaigns and is married to a former top aide of Sen. Biden, has played a crucial role in attracting Chinese businesses to Delaware.

Michael Marquardt, appointed to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad by Biden in 2022, has spent the past two decades advising international companies and recently helped the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) attract Chinese businesses to invest in Delaware.

Since 2017, Marquardt has served as a "global advisor" of DPP and has used his social media accounts to showcase his efforts in connecting Chinese business leaders and companies with Delaware.

"In 2015, Marquardt welcomed over 50 Chinese business executives to Delaware, sponsored by Bank of China. The visit included a program showcasing the benefits of Delaware as a gateway to America, followed by a tour of Incyte Corporation, one of the country's fastest-growing companies. The visitors were highly impressed and noted that Delaware is the only state they were visiting outside of New York City and Washington D.C. (for sightseeing)."

Yesterday, Marquardt shared on his Facebook page from New York City that then-Delaware Governor Jack Markell, a Biden ally, received the International Leadership Award from China's General Chamber of Commerce at Bank of China's new US headquarters building in Manhattan at 7 Bryant Park.

"The building is not yet finished, but it was amazing to see it before its official opening," Marquardt said. "This ceremony concluded a day of business matching sessions between 100+ Chinese companies and 100+ American companies, including 21 from Delaware."

In the same year, Marquardt shared on Facebook an article about Delaware's funding for expanding a summer abroad program in China for high school students studying Mandarin. He also included the Twitter hashtag "#ForwardThinkingDelaware."

In 2015, Marquardt posted on X about welcoming 2 buses carrying Chinese business executives to @DelawareGlobal to learn more about the First State. The post included a photo of buses presumably rolling into Delaware with Chinese business executives on board.

In 2016, during the Obama-Biden administration, Marquardt shared on Facebook that he was present at a special event in New York City, celebrating the strengthening of business ties between China and the United States.

"Global Delaware front and center once again!" he added.

Marquardt's photos show him attending the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference, where Hu Chunhua, a member of the CPC Central Committee's powerful political bureau and Guangdong Province's party secretary, gave keynote remarks.

The 14th CPPCC National Committee's vice-chairperson, Chunhua, is a key figure in China's United Front system, which aims to "co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)," as stated in a 2018 report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

In 2016, Marquardt attended the closing ceremony of China-U.S. Tourism Year in Washington, D.C., as stated in an X post from Andrea Tinianow, the founder of Global Delaware, a Delaware Department of State initiative aimed at assisting Delaware companies in expanding their markets abroad, attracting foreign companies to set up operations in Delaware, and establishing Delaware as a leading authority in corporate governance.

As per her LinkedIn profile, she held the positions of chief innovation officer and executive vice president of Global Kompass Strategies Inc., a renowned consulting firm founded by Marquardt. Marquardt was invited by the China's General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), a New York City-based organization highly praised by top CCP leaders in Beijing, to attend a luncheon with Vice Premier Wang Yang, one of the most influential CCP leaders in China, according to a 2016 Facebook post.

Several prominent Democrats, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and President Obama's ambassador to China, Max Baucus, were present at the event.

In a 2018 Facebook post, Marquardt shared photos from a "productive meeting with the China Entrepreneur Club in Beijing."

The CEC, described in a 2014 BBC profile as the "wealthiest club in China," comprises 46 of China's top business leaders, including politicians, academics, and advisers, some of whom are billionaires. The group now boasts over 60 members, as stated in their 2020 annual report.

The annual report stated that Jack Ma, the founder of CCP-tied Alibaba, and Liu Chuanzhi, who has held multiple top positions in the CCP, including deputy to the 16th and 17th National Congresses and deputy to the 9th, 10th and 11th National People's Congresses, are the honorary club chairmen.

In a 2019 social media post, Marquardt stated that he traveled to Washington, D.C., and "reconnected with old friends" from CGCC and the Bank of China at the SelectUSA Summit, representing DPP. SelectUSA is a "government program within the U.S. Department of Commerce that aims to attract foreign investment to the United States."

In 2023, Delaware's economy was significantly impacted by China, which received $498 million in exported goods from the US, as stated by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

In 2022, CGCC published a post about their "member companies" visiting Wilmington, Delaware, to gain insights into "Delaware’s economy through site visits and interactions with local government officials," which included a "presentation" by DPP's Marquardt and the group's president and CEO, Kurt Foreman.

Governor John Carney hosted a special welcoming dinner for members of DPP at the historic Hotel du Pont in downtown Wilmington following their visit to the organization's headquarters.

Marquardt's 2023 Linkedin post highlights his passion for assisting foreign countries interested in investing in the United States. He expresses surprise at how little some individuals from other countries know about Delaware.

He states that Delaware is both welcoming and fast-paced, making it ideal for innovative companies, and he enjoys educating others on why so many businesses choose to locate here.

Over two decades, Marquardt has been connected to Biden through his wife, Claire DeMatteis, who served as then-Sen. Biden's senior counsel from 1994 to 2004, as per a Planet Chronicle Digital review.

In 2003, Marquardt, originally from West Berlin, Germany, and immigrated to the US in the early 1990s, posted a video of his wedding reception, celebrating their 20th anniversary, with Biden giving a toast in place of DeMatteis' dad, who passed away when she was 9 years old.

Biden referred to Marquardt as a "fine man" during a toast and joked about questioning his relationship with Biden's brother-in-law, Jack Owens, who is married to his sister, Valerie Biden Owens. This reference may stem from Marquardt co-founding and serving as CEO of Mediguide, a telemedicine company that Owens invested in and later purchased and managed, according to an archived bio on Mediguide's website.

Previously, it was reported that Owens sought assistance from his nephew, Hunter Biden, in obtaining a Chinese business license.

Marquardt, who served on the Biden for President national finance committee, and his wife have been prolific donors to Biden PACs and campaigns, ranging from the Senate to the presidential level. Between 2003 and 2024, the Delaware couple has donated over $50,000 supporting Biden's campaigns, according to FEC records.

Marquardt has shared multiple photos of him with Biden on his social media accounts and Linkedin profile, and has highlighted their relationship on his business website. His profile picture on X, Facebook, and Linkedin features him and his wife with President Biden and former Presidents Obama and Clinton at a star-studded New York City fundraiser earlier this year. Additionally, he has posted pictures with his wife at the White House during the Biden administration, including at a Christmas party and July 4th celebration.

"Marquardt is a business advisor who is well-known in boardrooms worldwide. He specializes in advising American companies looking to expand to Europe or Asia and companies that are interested in entering the U.S. market. As a trusted strategist, he quickly gains an understanding of business culture and helps drive change from within."

No response was received from Marquardt or the White House when Planet Chronicle Digital sought comment.