SHANGHAI, PR CHINA – British Columbia’s aggressive push to export more wood products to China achieved a major milestone today with Forests Minister Michael de Jong opening the Dream Home China demonstration centre.
 “The centre gives B.C. forest company associations a major presence in one of the fastest growing economies of the world,” said de Jong. “It provides a world-class facility for showcasing B.C. forest products and wood-frame construction.”

The 888 square metre (9,558 sq. ft.) building, developed in partnership with the B.C. forestry sector, features advanced wood technology, architecture and B.C. wood products. It will house the Canada Wood Products Service Centre and offices for B.C. forestry companies operating in China.
 “China is the world’s fastest growing market,” said Rick Jeffery, president, Coast Forest and Lumber Association. “We need to build a demand for B.C. wood and wood products so that we can achieve the same marketplace positioning we already enjoy in Japan and North America, as the premium supplier of wood products and advanced wood technology.”
 In China, 10 million new homes are built each year – five times the volume of the U.S. housing market. However, most new housing in China is built using concrete and cement block construction. The Dream Home China project is aimed at shifting consumer demand towards wood-frame homes by promoting North American style housing and design.
 As part of the trade mission, de Jong signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Shanghai Municipal Government’s Science and Technology Commission to create local building codes and standards in Shanghai that support the use of wood in standard and hybrid construction – wood combined with traditional Chinese construction material such as concrete. It is also the first step in a process to accelerate wood use in multi-family residential structures in Shanghai.
 The newly opened demonstration centre will also offer training to Shanghai builders, architects, engineers and trades people on wood-frame construction. A second phase of the Dream Home China project will feature the construction of single-family demonstration homes.
 “We’re helping China quickly shift to wood-frame housing – a shift that will benefit British Columbia more than any other forest economy since we are the world’s largest exporter of softwood lumber,” said Patrick Wong, minister of state for immigration and multicultural services, who accompanied de Jong on the trade mission.
 The opening of the Dream Home China demonstration centre is part of an eight-day forestry trade mission to China and Japan. The delegation includes about 50 representatives from B.C. forestry companies, associations and local government.
 Announced in April 2003 by Premier Gordon Campbell, the Dream Home China project is a partnership between government’s Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd. and the B.C. forest industry to promote wood products in China. The five-year project includes the presentation centre, demonstration villas and multi-use buildings (now under development), local marketing, and a technology transfer and training program.