Team Off to China

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 09:36 AM

A group of B.C. forest sector delegates, led by Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell, leaves today for a six-day trade mission to China to increase demand for wood products in China's largest cities and major building markets.

"Our mission is to generate more business and to pursue new sales opportunities for British Columbia's world-class forest products," Bell said. "This trip has also been organized to build new relationships, as well to strengthen existing links, with Chinese construction agencies, developers and government officials."

Bell and more than a dozen industry representatives will visit the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Deyang, Mianyang and Dujiangyan and several earthquake reconstruction project sites during the Nov. 12-18 tour of China.

B.C. plans to sign memoranda of understanding with China to help rebuild community facilities destroyed by last May's devastating Wenchuan earthquake.

To help build relationships, the B.C. trade team will meet with the China National Ministry of Civil Affairs; several municipal governments; and China National Building Materials, the largest professional supplier of building materials in the country.

The delegation will also view progress and latest developments with B.C.'s marketing and demonstration projects such as the Dream Home Canada centre and the commercial application of wood truss roofs with the Shanghai Housing Bureau.

The trade mission, combined with B.C.'s ongoing marketing and demonstration projects, is expected to give an added boost to future forest product sales to China. Wood-frame roofing in particular has significant growth potential. Low-rise, multi-family housing represents a potential lumber market of up to 2.8 million cubic metres per year in roof systems alone.

"We're seeing clear signs that our marketing efforts are starting to pay off. Softwood lumber sales to China are on pace to make 2008 a record-breaking year," said Bell. "We need to continue to pursue every opportunity to boost this positive, upward trend. That is a major reason why I am travelling to China this week."

The following will take part in the trade mission:

* James Shepard, Canfor
* Don Kayne, Canfor
* Mayco Lou, Canfor
* Hank Ketcham, West Fraser Timber
* Chris McIver, West Fraser Timber
* Eric Zhang, West Fraser Timber
* John Langley, Tolko Industries
* Jason Zhang, Tolko Industries
* Ric Slaco, Interfor
* Vivian Wong, Interfor
* Duncan Kerr, Western Forest Products
* Rick Jeffery, Canada Wood Group
* Paul Newman, Canada Wood Group
* Bruce Pollock, Interex Forest Products
* John English, British Columbia Institute of Technology

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Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 09:36 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: mythoughts on November 12 2008 10:45 AM

Ouch, low blow Bridge. What he does on his own time is his business. We all have a good time at the Legion. I don't see mention of anyone else that was at the Legion.

Posted by: diplomat on November 12 2008 10:46 AM

My question is how come Mr. Zurowski didn't go? It used to be of the utmost importance that the top honcho from the city had to be there!

I hope all the industry delegates (who know what they are talking about) get a great reception and have success with their mission!

Posted by: Harbinger on November 12 2008 11:28 AM

Someone should have hacked into the airlines computers and changed their round trip tickets into one way tickets. Let them work their way back home just to show them the real world.

Posted by: bustedbetty on November 12 2008 11:48 AM

zurowski ain't top honcho yet and if you don't want anything in this city to change - vote'm in.

Posted by: leoleo on November 12 2008 12:05 PM

poor timing....alot of the increase in volumes to China was directly tied to taxes on Russian timber.
Putin has announced today that he will delat this for at least 9-12 months.

Posted by: Dozer on November 12 2008 12:59 PM

bustybetty another dumb housewife voteing for the idiot radio announcer...

Posted by: Dozer on November 12 2008 1:47 PM

sounds too me like you should get back to the pulpet...

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on November 12 2008 3:42 PM

Ohh.. you guys talk rough on here. Ya gota love it!

Anyway for the story I like to have seen someone from Carrier Lumber and Dunkley along because the more interest in the China market the better.

Posted by: acrider54 on November 12 2008 3:47 PM

Another paid holiday by the taxpayer to China, must be nice. I'm hoping I can get to Hixon for my winter relief holiday.

Posted by: woodwoman on November 12 2008 3:50 PM

A laid off forestry worker from Fort St. James and Mackenzie would be suitable on that trip. The expenses for a delegation would have been better spent on looking at the economy of those two towns.

Posted by: metalman on November 12 2008 4:01 PM

Not that I agree with Pattie 'Hamburger' Bell/Blatherwich, I generally do not, just on principal. But where in the article does it state that the taxpayer is paying the way for any body but Pattie and the inevitable entourage he so dearly deserves?
I bet that the forest companies are paying for their own participation. Also,
I would really like to see an accurate break down of just what we have been sending to CHina that has Pattie so impressed. I hope that the list is not dominated by things like raw logs. We should at least be milling the logs into lumber.
metalman.

Posted by: Bridge on November 12 2008 4:36 PM

Sorry I guess I was a bit out of line in the comments about Colin. It realy didnt matter as his days are numberd.

Cheers

Posted by: leoleo on November 12 2008 6:53 PM

Russia postpones log tax, thwarting B.C. lumber initiative-

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=5599ee61-14b2-459a-99bb-5daa47601cb5

Posted by: robichal on November 12 2008 8:37 PM

Posted by: acrider54 on November 12 2008 3:47 PM
"Another paid holiday by the taxpayer to China, must be nice. I'm hoping I can get to Hixon for my winter relief holiday."

I might be missing something here, but I didn't see anyone on that list that would have been paid by tax $$$. These look like industry people, not Gov't people...wouldn't Canfor, West Fraser etc. pay for these people to go to china - how do our tax $$$ fit in this picture?

Posted by: Palopu on November 12 2008 10:11 PM

No tax dollars spent here with the exception of Pat Bell. These guys are the only ones who can sign any memorandoms of agreements, or any contracts. Pat Bell and the Government do not own any Pulp Mills, Paper Mills, or Lumber Mills and cant agree to sign or promise anything.

Some of these Companies have been selling products to China for years, and have sales offices located in Japan, etc; Selling to China is nothing new, however increasing sales to China, and getting them to use lumber instead of cement etc; in a good idea, however only time will tell if it will catch on.

If lumber, pulp, and paper sales to the US hadnt dropped off so drastically in the past year none of these dudes would be heading to China, they would still be selling 80% of their production to the USA, which is what they will go back to doing a soon as the recession is over.,

Contrary to popular beleive the Americans pay good prices for these commodities, and are much easier to deal with than the Japanese, or Chinese.

In addition their are serious credit problems in China and some suppliers have not been paid for some products shipped.

Dont expect to much from this little trip.

Hopefully they have all the information that Kinsley and his co-horts collected over the years to ensure that they do not duplicate anything that has already been done. Ha, Ha, Ha.

Posted by: leoleo on November 13 2008 7:58 AM

"If lumber, pulp, and paper sales to the US hadnt dropped off so drastically in the past year none of these dudes would be heading to China, they would still be selling 80% of their production to the USA,.."

Not true with pulp......China takes far more pulp ex BC than the US ever could consume.

Posted by: acrider54 on November 13 2008 4:24 PM

robichal If you think Bell is going on his own nickle, you are sadly mistaken.

Posted by: Palopu on November 13 2008 8:45 PM

Leoleo. You could be right to a degree on the pulp, however I doubt that they take more than what is sold to the USA, Europe, India, and South East Asia. At this time all pulp customers have cut back on orders, and there is a huge glut of pulp stored in warehouses throughout Canada.

China historically buys pulp when the price is low and stock piles it, and then sits out when the price rises. The price of pulp from the USA is more consistant througout the year, and therefore they are a much more reliable customer.

As the economy in China crashes (which is what is happening at the moment) we had better hope that the US economy turns around or we are in deep doo, doo.