Limited spaces available. Join us on 30 March 2009 @ Langham Hotel, Auckland City
International Sustainable Cities Forum
Building Sustainable Cities
Bringing together government and corporate leaders from New Zealand and China to explore the challenges and opportunities of building sustainable cities. Held in conjunction with the 1st Anniversary of the signing of the China-NZ FTA.
Chinese Property Godfather coming to New Zealand
Front page story on the New Zealand Chinese Herald - 24 Feb 09
王石、馮侖等地產「大腕」下月雲集奧克蘭
共同論道「可持續發展城市論壇」
本報記者 青松
不久前，在奧克蘭舉辦的「牛年元宵燈會」上，總理John Key談到備受矚目的全球經濟衰退問題，意味深長地說：如果中國人的餐桌上都擺上紐西蘭的牛奶和羊肉，我敢保證：本國的經濟就絕不會陷入衰退。顯然，中國的巨大商機已經吸引了總理的「眼球」。
在紐中自由貿易協定簽訂一週年之際，由本報和中國城市房地產開發商策略聯盟聯合主辦的「可持續發展城市論壇」，將於3月29日至4月1日在奧克蘭舉辦。此次高峰論壇將聚焦「城市可持續發展」這一主題，為紐中兩國政府、企業間的進一步深入合作提供平台、創造機遇。
Tags: auckland, china, chinese herald, international sustainable cities forum, investment, new zealand, vanke, wang shi
AmCham-China warns U.S. firms against losing opportunities
This warning to US firms to not miss out on opportunities in the current crisis also applies to New Zealand firms doing business or intending to do business in China.
TIANJIN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) — The head of the American Chamber of Commerce in China Tuesday warned that companies that held back from the Chinese market because of the global economic crisis will lose valuable development opportunities.
And chairman John Watkins called on the Chinese government to provide more “transparent” information about its 4-trillion-yuan (585 billion U.S. dollars) national stimulus package so that U.S. companies could compete fairly with their Chinese counterparts.
“We are quite clear that whoever retreats now will lose development opportunities in China,” said Watkins, also chairman and CEO of Cummins (China) Investment Co. Ltd., in fluent Chinese.
“Most of our members are confident about the Chinese market in 2009,” Watkins told Xinhua.
U.S. companies in China were less affected by the global economic crisis than those back in the United States. Many multinationals, including Cummins, expected to expand in China this year, he said.
“I hope our exports to China could reach 1 trillion U.S. dollars in 30 years and the investment of Chinese companies in the U.S. then could also reach that amount,” he said.
Tags: amcham, china, investment, new zealand, recession, stock market, sustainable development, united states, venture capital
Why are the Chinese interested in New Zealand?
New Zealand is renowned in China, and the rest of the world, for being clean and green. The Chinese recognise that there are opportunities to learn from New Zealand’s approach to sustainable development. There is increasing awareness in China of New Zealand’s expertise in sustainable development, eco-friendly building design, earthquake proofing and cutting-edge urban planning. The need for such expertise is increasingly urgent. Until a quarter century ago, private residential property did not exist in China. In 2007, China added 5.5 million new housing units, four times what the United States built and more than one-quarter of all new housing stock in the world. Rapid urbanisation and development at breakneck speed has necessitated the exploration of more sustainable development strategies.
There is also a degree of fondness with New Zealand. The signing of the China-NZ FTA in April 2008 represents “the fourth first” in a series of milestone agreements between New Zealand and China in the trade and economic area. Many Chinese businesspeople acknowledge the depth of the relationship between the 2 countries. The other “firsts” in the relationship:
• New Zealand was the first Western country to conclude a bilateral agreement with China on its accession to the World Trade Organisation, in August 1997.
• New Zealand was the first developed economy to recognise China’s status as a market economy in April 2004.
• New Zealand was the first developed country to enter into FTA negotiations with China, announced in November 2004.
After years of accumulating substantial trade surpluses with her trading partners, China has foreign reserves of around US$2 trillion today. In spite of recent turmoil in financial markets and subsequent economic recession, many Chinese investors continue to pursue investment and development opportunities. Warren Buffett’s simple philosophy, be fearful when others are greedy, be greedy when others are fearful; is well understood by more sophisticated Chinese investors.
Tags: auckland, china, foreign reserves, free trade agreement, international sustainable cities forum, investment, new zealand, sustainable development
VC firms optimistic about China investment prospects
Over half of venture capital (VC) companies from home and abroad remain optimistic about investment prospects in China, though most of them are more cautious due to the current financial turmoil, a report said.
China Venture Capital Research Institute Ltd surveyed 402 VC companies over the past three months, including 261 local companies and 141 overseas ones.
According to the survey, 57 percent of VC companies believed there would be investment opportunities for China in the current financial crisis, while only about 1.64 percent of respondents said they were pessimistic about future investment in the country.
Source: China Daily
02-20-2009 08:22
Tags: china, investment, vc, venture capital
China oil firms could get FX to invest abroad
Article from Reuters
BEIJING, Feb 21 (Reuters) – China could use its $2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves to support foreign mergers and acquisitions by Chinese oil and gas companies, the China Daily said on Saturday.
Low-interest loans and capital injections could go to firms like oil giants PetroChina (0857.HK)(601857.SS), Sinopec (0386.HK)(600028.SS) and CNOOC that aim to expand overseas as the global recession lowers share prices of foreign firms, the English-language newspaper said.
Tags: acquisition, china, foreign reserves, investment, recession
Templeton says China stock market has bottomed
SHANGHAI, Feb 20 (Reuters) – China’s stock market has seen a bottom but if the rebound is to develop into a bull run, investors need to see signs of a sustainable economic recovery, the research head at Franklin Templeton Investment’s China fund venture said.
Pan Jiang, who will soon manage a newly launched equity fund that invests in high-growth A share companies, said he favours stocks such as chemicals producer Yantai Wanhua Polyurethane Co (600309.SS) and property developer Vanke 000002.SZ.
Tags: china, investment, recession, stock market, templeton, vanke, wang shi
China Buys Australia On the Cheap
Article from Time Magazine published Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009
Today, almost alone in the world, China’s state-owned companies are still cash flush. Crucially, though, they have learned a basic — and expensive — lesson about investing abroad. As a result, the ‘Go Out’ strategy has been tweaked. It might now be better called the ‘Buy Low’ campaign, and in one of the markets that Beijing has long had in its strategic sights — Australia’s vast metals and minerals industry — it is now unfolding.
News emerging that Chinese firms are likely to pick up underpriced assets offshore.
Tags: australia, china, investment, state-owned
China’s ‘Godfather’ jetting here to talk property
The New Zealand Herald featured the International Sustainable Cities Forum in this article published on Tuesday 17 Feb.
The “Godfather” of the Chinese real estate industry is among a number of leading Chinese and Hong Kong business people attending a conference next month in Auckland which is one of a couple of initiatives underway to develop New Zealand’s business ties with China.
Among the 60 Chinese business people and officials attending the International Sustainable Cities Forum, is Wang Shi, chairman of Shenzhen-listed Vanke – China’s largest residential property developer with a market capitalisation of about US$10 billion.
Aside from his “Godfather” status, Wang has also been likened by Time magazine to US property magnate Donald Trump while the New York Times has called him a “tycoon adventurer in the mould of Sir Richard Branson”.
Tags: auckland, international sustainable cities forum, investment, new zealand herald, sustainable development, vanke, wang shi
International Sustainable Cities Forum 2009 is brought to you by New Zealand Chinese Herald and Euroasia. We also appreciate the support of McConnell Group, Framecad, China Urban Realty Association and The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Zealand.