Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report and action plan in relation to the City’s links with Hefei, China outlining the achievements which derived from the relationship:

 

“Relevant Background Information

 

      Members will be aware that at the Development Committee of 7th June, 2006, a two year plan for activities to develop and promote the linkages between Belfast and Hefei was agreed.

 

      Work has been progressing on the delivery of the key objectives within this plan and a summary of activities to date is attached as requested by Members. Should Members wish to continue with the sister city relationship, a plan for activities to take place over the next two years has been drafted based on progress to date and with a view to maximising upcoming opportunities for collaboration. Hefei are very keen to continue the relationship and we are awaiting specific proposals from them for new areas of cooperation.

 

Key Issues

 

      The civic link between the cities of Belfast and Hefei dates back to the late 1990s and the first Belfast delegation visited the Chinese city in 2000. Since then, there have been a number of visits and exchanges between the two cities, focusing on the themes of economic development, education and training and cultural promotion.

 

      An action plan for this work was approved by the Development (Economic Development) Sub-Committee in March 2003. This identified a broad range of activities along with associated actions.  The key areas of action were agreed as:

 

-          Business Development and Investment

-          Education and training

-          Enhancing links with the Chinese community in Belfast

-          Cultural awareness

-          Information and awareness-raising.

 

      This plan was updated for the period 2006-2008. In that timeframe, a range of key outputs was achieved including:

 

-          Delivery of a business development programme on ‘Doing Business in China’, involving 10 local companies, two of whom participated on Invest NI trade mission to China; 7 companies currently pursuing joint ventures or other linkages.

-          Organisation of a ‘Doing Business in China’ seminar attended by 30 local businesses

-          Hosting of a visit to Belfast by Central China TV (CCTV) during which a documentary on Belfast was produced.  This has since been aired on Chinese television

-          Participation by local political representatives in key events with the Chinese Community in Belfast including Chinese New Year

-          Participation by local political representatives in events to welcome the Chinese student population to the city

-          Involvement in a working group to establish a Confucius Institute (a centre of excellence to promote Chinese language and culture) at Queen’s University Belfast

-          Participation in an international cultural festival in Hefei by a cultural group from Belfast, including a showcase on economic and cultural development in Belfast

-          Participation by the then Lord Mayor in a visit to China/Hefei in 2006, as part of a trade mission coordinated by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Belfast.

-          Extensive engagement with Chinese Chamber of Commerce, including support for business linkages between them and contacts in Hefei

-          Letters and introduction provided for two local companies to support business linkages with Chinese counterparts

-          Presentation at best practice event in London for local authorities involved in UK-China linkages, focusing on business linkages,

-          Development work with Invest NI to explore potential for focused activity and visit to Hefei as part of trade mission programme. Economic profile of possible business opportunities produced and agreement by Invest NI to consider inclusion of visit to Hefei as part of upcoming trade missions.

 

      Building on the outputs identified above and the achievements accomplished, a series of activities under these broad areas of work have been identified.  This takes into account the opportunities for linkages not only with Hefei but with other locations in China, given the contacts that other partner organisations in the city have with this country.  It also takes account of the integration into the Development Department of the Community Development section and the linkages with the local Chinese community that this brings. As such, it represents a broadening of the potential activities and offers an opportunity for further development work in this field.

 

Resource Implications

 

      The total funds required to deliver this action plan for the period October 2008-March 2010 are estimated at £65,000.

 

Recommendations

 

      Members are asked to review the sister city relationship with Hefei and to consider the content of the draft action plan for linkages with China.

 

Documents Attached

 

Appendix 1   –   Draft Action Plan for Belfast City Council linkages with China

 

Appendix 1

 

BELFAST CITY COUNCIL – CHINA ACTION PLAN: 2008-2010

 

Background

 

      Belfast City Council made its first official visit to China in April 2000.  The visit included a three city tour to Shenzhen, Hefei and Beijing.  In August that year, a Memorandum of Agreement between Hefei and Belfast was signed.  This committed the cities to ‘friendly exchange and cooperative activities’ on a number of themes including education, technology and culture.  A series of subsequent visits led to the signature of a Sister Cities agreement between the two cities in 2005.

 

      A Belfast-China strategy was presented to the Development Committee in May 2003.  This identified a broad range of activities along with associated actions.  The key areas of action were agreed as:

 

-          Business Development and Investment

-          Education and training

-          Enhancing links with the Chinese community in Belfast

-          Cultural awareness

-          Information and awareness-raising.

 

Update

 

      A number of action plans have been developed and delivered since that time.  Key outputs include:

 

-          Delivery of two business development programmes on ‘Doing Business in China’, involving 10 local companies

-          Participation of 2 local businesses from these programmes on Invest NI trade missions to China

-          Organisation of two ‘Doing Business in China’ seminars, each attended by 30 local businesses

-          Hosting of a visit to Belfast by Central China TV (CCTV) during which a documentary on Belfast was produced.  This has since been aired on Chinese television

-          Participation by local political representatives in key events with the Chinese Community in Belfast including Chinese New Year

-          Participation by local political representatives in events to welcome the Chinese student population to the city

-          Involvement in a working group to establish a Confucius Institute (a centre of excellence to promote Chinese language and culture) at Queen’s University Belfast

-          Participation in an international cultural festival in Hefei by a cultural group from Belfast

-          Participation by the then Lord Mayor in a visit to China in 2006, as part of a trade mission coordinated by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Belfast

-          Creation of a Belfast-China steering group to agree and promote linkages and joint activities.

 

Focus for future work

 

      While the focus for the links in the coming period will continue to be with the partner city of Hefei, it is acknowledged that our partner organisations have their own linkages in other parts of China.  For this reason, it is proposed that this strategy should consider how these linkages can be developed and maximised, alongside the further development of the sister city link with Hefei.

 

      It is proposed that a range of activities for the coming 18 month period (October 2008-March 2010) be undertaken including:

 

Business Development and Investment

 

-          Organise two events on ‘Doing Business in China’ (in conjunction with Invest NI/NICCI/CCC), showcasing companies already doing business in China and providing information on relevant support schemes.  This can be linked to the development of our World Trade Centre activity

-          Develop and deliver a business development programme for up to 10 companies on ‘Doing Business in China’, linking with Invest NI trade mission in December 2009

-          Build relationships with the Commercial Attachés in the Chinese Consulates in London, Manchester and Edinburgh with a  view to maximising trade linkages

-          Work with the local Chinese community in Belfast to identify business and investment opportunities arising from existing contacts and linkages.

 

Education and Training

 

-          Identify scope for wider civic and business linkages with those locations which currently have educational linkages with Belfast (particularly Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai)

-          Host welcome events for Chinese students to Belfast, involving civic representatives

-          Support the local educational establishments to create centres of excellence for the Chinese language and culture

-          Identify opportunities for further linkages between educational institutes in Belfast and Hefei.

 

Enhancing links with the Chinese community in Belfast

 

-          Provide access to council facilities for local groups to host cultural and community activities

-          Provide community development support to the Chinese community in Belfast, through our Community Development workers

-          Support activities for young people e.g. summer schemes.

 

Culture

 

-          Support key events to promote Chinese culture, e.g. Chinese New Year

-          Facilitate access to Chinese cultural performances, particularly in Belfast City Council venues e.g. Waterfront Hall, Community Centres.

 

Information and Awareness Raising

 

-          Maintain contact with Local Government International Bureau (LGIB) staff for advice and support

-          Liaise with UK Eurocities to exchange information on support/resources for links with China in other UK cities

-          Promote ‘good news stories’ of Belfast-China links through e?bulletin and website to ensure that all target groups are aware of the opportunities offered by the link e.g. education, training, business, cultural organisations.

 

Resource Implications

 

      The budget required to deliver the activities within this plan will be £65,000.  This has been included as part of the international relations work within the Development Department plan for 2008?2009 and activity taking place in the year 2009-2010 will be included in the Development Department plan for that year.  An Economic Development Officer will allocate a proportion of his time to working on this and other international relations activity.”

 

            A Member inquired, in light of the Committee decision of 13th August to promote the integration of human rights dialogue in its relationship with Hefei and to put human rights issues on the agenda at further meetings with Chinese Officials, as to how the proposals outlined in the report could be achieved.

 

            In response, the Director of Development indicated that a further report on this issue would be submitted for the Members’ consideration at a future meeting.

 

            After discussion, the Committee agreed to renew the Sister Cities relationship with Hefei, China and adopted the contents of the draft action plan.