Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Minister Pat Bell will lead a March 27-31 trade mission to Beijing to show the Chinese housing industry the green benefits of building with wood.

Government relations are an important part of doing business in China. The B.C. delegation will discuss market needs with Vice Minister Qiu Baoxing from the Chinese central government's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) as well as Vice Governor Song Enhua from the Province of Hebei.

Many of the trade mission activities in Beijing will revolve around the Green Building Show, a MOHURD-sponsored conference expected to draw more than 2,000 visitors from the Chinese construction industry.

Minister Bell and Vice Minister Qiu will hammer in the final nails to open the Green Home Canada building in Beijing. Green Home Canada is a special demonstration project assembled in three days to highlight the advantages of using pre-fabricated components to build low-rise apartments.

In addition to generating new sales orders for B.C. lumber, the delegation will travel to Tianjin to check progress on four-storey, wood-frame residential buildings under construction in the Tianjin Economic Development Area.

Quote:

Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation:

"An increasing number of government officials and developers are asking us about the environmental and climate friendly benefits of switching to wood-frame construction for their housing projects. This trade mission will have a strong focus on showing them why B.C. wood products are an excellent fit with China's new green building policies."

Quick Facts:

* The 39-member delegation includes 15 senior executives from Ainsworth, Aspen Planers, Canfor, Hampton Forest Products, Interfor, Sino Energy Group, Teal-Jones Group, Western, and West Fraser.

* They are joined by representatives from Conifex, Tolko, two forestry trade associations, the UBC Faculty of Forestry and research institute FPInnovations.

* The B.C. trade mission to northern China will do business in Beijing, the Province of Hebei, and the Tianjin Economic Development Area.

* The trade mission is a valuable opportunity for B.C. forest product companies to network and meet with new customers and major lumber suppliers such as China National Building Materials.

* B.C. representatives will also participate in a ceremonial event at the Ambassador's Official Residence to mark the growing acceptance of wood building products in China.

Learn More:

Photos and video of wood-frame assembly for the Green Building Show apartment project

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/pab/media/china/2011/

Fall 2010 China trade mission:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgovphotos/sets/72157625274492988/

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/pab/media/china/2010/

Contact:

Cheekwan Ho

Public Affairs Officer

250 387-4592

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect