China Direct

UK design Company Arup builds its reputation with ICC award at MIPIM Asia

 

 

[Image courtesy of www.arup.com]

CBI member Arup recently announced that the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in Hong Kong, to which it provided full engineering services, was voted as the gold winner at the MIPIM Asia Awards 2011, a scheme which recognises outstanding real estate projects in the Asia Pacific region.

Boasting stunning views of Victoria Harbour, ICC is the tallest building in Hong Kong and set new benchmarks for tall building construction in the city. The main structural skeleton is formed from a high modulus concrete inner core wall. Arup engineered the design of the innovative self-compacting high modulus concrete with special volcanic tuff aggregate.

Arup also had a major involvement in five other projects which were recognised at MIPIM Asia Awards 2011 for their innovative, technical, environmental, and architectural qualities:

• Shanghai International Cruise Terminal, which Arup designed the district cooling system for, was awarded silver in the Best Mixed-use Buildings Category.

• Hong Cheng Plaza in Guangzhou, to which Arup was the structural, geotechnical, and façade engineer, received silver in the Best Chinese Futura Projects Category. Olympia 66 in Dalian, to which Arup provided structural and geotechnical consulting services, received bronze.

• Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport, to which Arup was the multi-disciplinary engineer, won silver in the Best Central and Western Asia Futura Projects Category.

• Shanghai Wheelock, which Arup developed a preliminary structural design for, won bronze in the Best Business Centre Category.

Please click here to read the full press release by Arup on the recognition it received at the MIPIM Asia Awards 2011.

Earlier this year, Guangzhou International Finance Centre (IFC), engineered by Arup, won the Best Tall Building Award for the Asia and Australasia Region from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) for its outstanding design and construction.

Arup engineers from Hong Kong, London, and Shenzhen worked together to provide full engineering design services for Guangzhou IFC, a highly innovative tower with striking visual impact.

Please click here to read the full press release by Arup on the recognition received by Guangzhou IFC.

Michael Kwok, Arup's Project Director, said, "Guangzhou IFC is another success story of global collaboration between Arup offices to deliver a world class project. We are proud that the depth and breadth of our expertise helps to shape Guangzhou's skyline, and continues to make a positive impact on the built environment."

 

2012 UK Now - the UK's largest arts festival in China - dates for your diary

 

[Image courtesy of www.britishcouncil.org.cn]

Dear CBI members,

We are delighted to let you know that UK Now, the biggest British arts festival in China ever, will be held next year between April and November, featuring hundreds of world-class events in 15 cities across China.

Key goals of UK Now include showcasing the quality, diversity, breadth, and innovation of artistic Britain and celebrating China and the UK as consecutive hosts of the Olympic Games.

Please find attached below a bilingual overview of UK Now.

Download UK Now fast facts EN & CN

UK Now's events programme will be wide-ranging and inclusive, covering all the art forms. Events will include exhibitions, concerts, performances, talks, workshops, collaborative projects, online activities, competitions, etc.

UK Now is sponsored by CBI members including British Airways, Burberry, Diageo, HSBC, InterContinental Hotels Group, Norton Rose, Prudential, and Standard Chartered.

For more information about UK Now please contact either Ms. Hannah Douglas or Ms. Sam Christie.

hannah.douglas@britishcouncil.org.cn tel: 00 86 10 65906903 ext 362

sam.christie@britishcouncil.org.cn tel: 00 86 10 65906903 ext 266  

Opportunities for UK businesses in China Regional Cities Report

 

The China-Britain Business Council and the Centre for International Business at CBI member The University of Leeds have prepared an updated research report on 'Opportunities for UK Businesses in China's Regional Cities' on behalf of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).

The original report, published in September 2008, focused on the market expansion and development of China's regional cities and the relevance of this to British businesses.

However, the last three years have seen major changes to the international economic landscape, with the global financial crisis and UK recession having a deep impact on British businesses and their internationalisation prospects.

The new report presents the findings of research conducted this year.

Please click here to access the latest version of the 'Opportunities for UK Businesses in China's Regional Cities' report.

 

Manpower's China Employment Survey 2011 Q2 Summary

 

 
[image courtesy of www.manpower.com.cn]

China Direct hopes that you find CBI member Manpower's Employment Survey trends for the second quarter of 2011 useful.

Please review the summary below.

Download 2011Q2_MEOS_EN

Our thanks to Manpower China for kindly providing this information to our members.

Manpower's China Employment Outlook Survey 2011 Q1 - Key Facts

 

  
[Image courtesy of www.manpower.com.cn]

CBI member company Manpower has very kindly shared with China Direct its 2011 quarterly China Employment Outlook Survey.

This useful survey is essential reading for employers and employees active in China. It analyses 16 regional cities and provides helpful sectoral comparisons in addition to an assessment of global employment trends.

Please download below:

Download 2011Q1 MEOS_EN

China Direct will also provide Manpower's Q2 Survey results later this week.

For more information please contact Manpower on 00 86 21 58782618 or apple.xu@manpower.com.cn     

Stop Press: China's 2010 Census - making sense of the results

 

Today saw the release of population statistics collated during Nov 2010's China census.

Headlines:

Population (2010): 1.34 billion

Population (1953): 594 million

Urban: 49.7% (+13.7% 2000 Census)

Aged 60+: 13.3% (+3%)

Aged <14: 16.6% (-6.29% )

Av size of household: 3.1 (-0.34%)

To read the NBS Press Release please click here.

Please refer to China Direct's original article on the 2010 Census on 04 November 2010.

Kindly select 'archives' from the menu above and month/year to access.

China's new cities - economic powerhouses of the future?

 

 
[Image courtesy of McKinsey & Company]

Leading management consulting firm and CBI member McKinsey & Company has issued a report titled, "Urban world: Mapping the economic power of cities," which projects a shift in the centre of gravity of the urban world to emerging markets in the south and the east.

According to McKinsey, 600 urban centres account for roughly 60% of global GDP today.

In 2007, half of global GDP came from 380 cities in developed regions.

However, McKinsey forecasts that one-third of these developed market cities will fall out of the top 600 ranking by 2025, with 136 new cities from developing markets entering the top 600.

China will account for the overwhelming majority of these new economic centres, contributing 100 cities.

Click here to access the full McKinsey report and here to read additional media coverage.

China Direct would like to thank Ben Cooper, Policy Analyst, CBI Beijing, for this contribution

UK Trade Mission to NE China: Dalian - open for UK business

[Image courtesy of www.en.wikipedia.org]

China Direct recently visited the NE Chinese city of Dalian on a UK Trade Mission headed by the British Ambassador, Mr. Sebastian Wood.

CBI members attending included HSBC, Standard Chartered, Mott Macdonald, Deloitte, BSI, NICG and Derby University.

In addition there was a wide variety of UK business represented including M&C Saatchi, Stevenson Harwood LLP, Colin Buchanan, Cambridge University ESOL, Foster & Partners, Pernod Ricard and the TGS Group.

Dalian Key Facts:

• 14,000 foreign registered companies
• 101 Fortune 500 Companies in Dalian
• 24 Universities with a rich talent 'pool' of 230,000 undergraduates
• 200 Scientific research institutes
• 108 foreign invested projects totalling more than US$ 1 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI)
• UK companies present in Dalian: BT, Fidelity, Morgan Crucible, HSBC, CBRE, Prudential, Vodaphone, Unilever, Standard Chartered, Ernst & Young and Hays

UK expertise required for project work on:

• Software outsourcing
• Dalian Metro
• Infrastructure projects (cross-harbour tunnel),
• Training & Teaching,
• Retailing
• Architecture/Design services
• Shipping
• Logistics

Contacts:

1. Ms. Snow Yang: Dalian Development Area

T: 00 86 411 87630380 (o)

M: 13591123810 (m) 

E: yangxue@dda.gov.cn

www.dda.gov.cn

2. Mr. Craig Wang: Dalian Software Park

T: 00 86 411 84766117

M: 00 86 13614094578

E: wangsr@dlsp.com.cn

www.dlsp.com.cn