Australia’s Trade Minister Craig Emerson visited Beijing this week continuing on from last year’s visit and a campaign to explore opportunities in services including architecture and urban renewal.
Dr Emerson delivered an opening day address at the inaugural China International Fair for Trade in Services, where he was to hold trade talks with senior Chinese officials.
In the speech, he noted that for its next era of economic development, China has embraced a new vision for high-quality and inclusive growth featuring a vibrant and internationally-competitive services sector.
“In China's rapidly growing cities, a modern urban lifestyle requires sophisticated services such as financial planning, banking, urban design and architecture.”
A Masterplan for Nanjing, China by CK Designworks. The 20 kilometre square hi-tech city to be built in the Pukou district of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. Images: CK Designworks
In August last year Emerson led a 100-strong business delegation through China's fast-growing inland cities to explore opportunities in services such as architecture, urban renewal, education and finance.
Emerson's visit to China is the fourth leg of an extensive trip aimed at furthering Australia's trade interests across the world.
There are various recent high profile Australian architectural services contracts that have been won in China.
CK Designworks, Robert Caulfield, recently explained the opportunities.
He said: “What I would say to every architect out there at the moment if you want to expand your practice: give China a shot. The opportunity of doing large work and diversifying overseas is just unbelievable. There is far more work in China than all of the architects in Australia could possibly do.”
The firm has just secured two more major commissions in China including, a $500mhotel and retail complex in Beijing and a Biological, Medicine, Science andTechnology Park which will span one million square metres.
