A recent trip to China by local government and industry representatives was successful, Mayor Walt Cobb said Friday.
As part of a delegation that met with government officials and investors between May 13 to 24 to promote the region’s exports and opportunities, Cobb said the trip opened up a lot of doors.
“Four out of the five industry people ended up staying longer to talk further deals,” Cobb said. “What they will end up with I have no idea, but from a city point of view, we met investors who are already in Canada that are looking at expanding.
The government officials from B.C. toured a laminate flooring factory that exports all over the world but imports the lumber to create the product.
Because Williams Lake is looking at developing a greenhouse in conjunction with Atlantic Power, the delegation toured a hydroponics greenhouse where they grow lettuce.
Drivers pay tolls everywhere, he added.
“It would be like us paying a toll at Williams Lake and paying another one at 100 Mile House. That’s how they collect money to pay for the roads.”
Cobb did notice was how clean the streets were in the cities and then discovered the streets are washed every night and during the day workers, carrying a broom and dustpan, walk around sweeping the streets.
Mayors in China are not elected, they are appointed, Cobb learned.
“We met one mayor who had been in the position for three months and prior to becoming mayor he was the head of a coal mining company.”
Picking up a pile of books he received as gifts, he opened up one of them to show how there were photographs of the Canadian delegation.
“We were handed these books the next day after they took those photographs,” Cobb said. “There’s a saying that if it takes five days to make something it takes five hours in China.”
Describing China as “amazing,” Cobb said it was his first visit there.
“They are developing whole cities,” he said as he showed a photograph on his phone of a model of a city he saw during the tour. “There are miles and miles of new highways and streets and not a single building. They have this attitude that if they build it people will come and expect there will be 1.2 million people living in this one new city within five years.”
When he asked where the people will move from, Cobb was told the government will purchase farm land and the farmers will move into the city and work in factories.
“I asked what will happen to the farms and they said they will use machinery to run them,” he added.
The trip was co-ordinated by the Cariboo Regional District who worked with an association of Chinese business investors in Vancouver to organize the trip with support from the Consulate-General.
Joining Cobb on the trip were CRD Chair Al Richmond, the city’s CAO Milo MacDonald, 100 Mile House Mayor Mitch Campsall, Wells Mayor Robin Sharpe, Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay and Greg Moore who is Port Coquitlam Mayor and Metro Vancouver Regional District Chair.