BC and Fed sign lumber deal with China during Carney’s visit
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The Ministry of Forestry of British Columbia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Government to promote the research, development and promotion of modern wood construction in building green buildings in China.
The five-year agreement, which is not legally binding, also involves the federal Department of Natural Resources and is the first agreement signed with Beijing since Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in China this week.
On the other side is China’s Ministry of Housing and Development, whose memorandum agreed to cooperate on the integration of modern wooden construction into China’s urban renewal and rural revitalization strategies and the exploration of “practical approaches” to green development.
It says the second goal is to strengthen the development of the “industrial chain” for wood manufacturing.
The deal also calls for exchanges and joint research on modern timber construction including high-rise timber buildings and large-scale timber projects.
BC, in particular, has suffered massive job losses in the forest industry over the past several years due to duties imposed on Canadian lumber in the United States, as well as a lack of access to profitable fiber supplies.
Carney is in China for the first visit by a Canadian prime minister to the country in more than eight years. With other deals signed today on topics such as energy and food security.
