Joint Delegation of the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia and the Oceania Business Council Completes Business Visit to Inner Mongolia

From 14 to 18 September, a joint delegation of the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia and the Oceania Business Council, led by Hao Jiancai, President of the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia, travelled to Ordos and Hohhot in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on a China–Australia business visit. Over five days, the delegation visited more than ten sites in fields including urban development, cashmere textiles, new energy, modern agriculture and animal husbandry, and biotechnology, attended a series of meetings with government and business representatives, and signed memoranda of cooperation with the Ordos Council for the Promotion of International Trade (Ordos Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese) and with the Inner Mongolia Women Entrepreneurs Chamber of Commerce, creating a new platform for trade and for bringing projects to fruition between Inner Mongolia and Australia, the State of Victoria and Melbourne.

The delegation included Bruce Atkinson, Chairman of the Board of the Oceania Business Council and former President of the Legislative Council of Victoria; Sunny Sun, Executive President of the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia and Executive President of the Oceania Business Council; and entrepreneurs and specialists from fields including agriculture, livestock breeding, green energy, finance, accounting, law, and culture and the arts.

Ordos: From a New Cityscape to the "Cashmere Capital" and "Zero Carbon"

14–16 September

During its stay in Ordos, the delegation was accompanied by Jia Zhanrong, Party Secretary of the Ordos Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Ordos Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, President of the Council and Chair of the Federation, together with Vice Presidents (Vice Chairs) Lin Dongmei and Wang Zhongkui. Officials from the municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce and the municipal bureaux of Industry and Information Technology, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Commerce, and Culture and Tourism, along with business representatives, took part in the site visits or the meetings.

On the morning of 14 September, the delegation visited the Ordos Urban Planning Exhibition Hall in Kangbashi and the Ejin Horo Banner Cultural Industry Park to learn about the development and cultural heritage of the city whose name means "many palaces". At a meeting that afternoon, Jia Zhanrong outlined Ordos's resource strengths in energy, cashmere, agriculture and animal husbandry, and culture and tourism, as well as the full "wind, solar, hydrogen, storage and vehicles" industry chain the city is building. Drawing on their experience in breeding, international trade and professional services, the Australian members said that the industries of the two places are a strong match, and that they were ready to use the chambers' role as a bridge to promote well-targeted business matching and the two-way flow of talent, technology and trade. At the meeting, the Ordos Council for the Promotion of International Trade (Ordos Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese) and the Oceania Business Council signed a memorandum of cooperation, agreeing to establish a regular mechanism for exchange and cooperation. In the open discussions that followed, businesses from both sides exchanged information and explored cooperation on topics including cashmere exports, livestock breeding, reciprocal culture and tourism visits, and cross-border business services.

On 15 September, the delegation focused on Ordos's cashmere industry chain. The enterprise behind the Erdos Group Modern Cashmere Industrial Park began in 1979 as the Ih Ju League Cashmere Sweater Factory; it now has four major brands and has led or taken part in drafting or revising 125 standards of various kinds and levels. Shuangqi Cashmere Products Co., Ltd. has two first-class spinning lines and produces 240 tonnes of cashmere yarn and more than 100,000 cashmere garments a year; its products are sold in more than 100 localities across nearly 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, and the company said it is actively seeking international partners. Huarong Commercial Building, formerly the Ih Ju League Textile Industry Corporation, now has 4,000 square metres of dedicated space for the cashmere trade and supports employment for nearly 3,000 people.

On 16 September, the delegation visited the Zero-Carbon Industrial Park in the Mengsu Economic Development Zone, where it toured LONGi Green Energy's full photovoltaic industry chain project and the Envision Ordos Modern Energy Equipment Industrial Park. The LONGi project has a planned total investment of RMB 39.5 billion; its 46 GW monocrystalline products came off the line on 16 June 2023, and it is expected to create about 17,000 jobs once it reaches full production. The Envision park represents a total investment of RMB 10 billion and uses 100 per cent green energy in battery manufacturing; its first phase produces 10.5 GWh of energy storage and power batteries a year and, at full capacity, can supply power batteries for more than 30,000 electric heavy trucks. The delegation then travelled to the Wulan Group ranch, where it held in-depth discussions with the ranch's technical staff on modern animal husbandry and the breeding of improved livestock varieties. In the evening, Wulan Group hosted the guests warmly.

The delegation also visited the Yonggui Art Museum and toured Kangbashi's urban development. In the evening, Huarong Commercial Building and the Yonggui Hotel hosted the guests warmly.

Hohhot: A Focus on Taking Green Agricultural and Livestock Products Overseas and on Energy Storage Cooperation

14–16 September

On 17 September, the 13-member delegation moved on to Hohhot, where it visited Inner Mongolia Tianhao Group and toured the Green Agricultural and Livestock Products Exhibition and Sales Base of the Inner Mongolia Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. At the base, specialities such as dried milk curd from Hulunbuir, rice from Hinggan League, oats from Ulanqab and camel milk powder from Alxa drew keen interest from members of the delegation. After the tour, Tim Kelleher, Secretary-General of the Accounting and Legal Committee of the Oceania Business Council, said that the cashmere products there were of "very good quality, with very advanced technology".

That afternoon, a meeting to implement the Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Jointly Promoting Overseas Sales of Inner Mongolia's Green Agricultural and Livestock Products was held at the Inner Mongolia Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. It was chaired by Hai Shan, member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director-General of the Department. Wang Honghua, Party Secretary and Chair of the Inner Mongolia Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; He Tao, part-time Vice Chair of the Federation; Hao Jiancai, President of the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia; and Sunny Sun of the Oceania Business Council were among those who spoke. Hai Shan said that Inner Mongolia's agricultural and livestock products are green, safe and of high quality, and expressed the hope of drawing on the capital, channels and information of overseas Chinese associations to promote the display, warehousing and sale of these products abroad, supporting the high-quality development of Inner Mongolia's agriculture and animal husbandry and higher incomes for its farmers and herders. Bruce Atkinson observed that Australia's food market is becoming increasingly diverse and that consumers favour high-quality products, and said that Inner Mongolia's agricultural and livestock products should do more to build their brands. Also attending were Luan Zhuoshen, Vice Chair and Secretary-General of the Federation; He Tao, part-time Vice Chair of the Federation; Du Peng, Head of the Federation's Culture and Economic Liaison Department; Yang Zhengmao, Director of the Market and International Cooperation Division of the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry; and Wang Huicheng, General Manager of the Inner Mongolia Green Agricultural and Livestock Products Exhibition and Sales Service Centre.

On 18 September, the delegation visited Hairihan Biotechnology Co., Ltd., toured Altan Agriculture Company at the Hohhot International Agricultural Expo Park, and met with the Inner Mongolia branch of Beijing Weilan to discuss cooperation on matters including taking outdoor energy storage products overseas. In the afternoon, the Oceania Business Council and the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia held business matching talks with the Inner Mongolia Women Entrepreneurs Chamber of Commerce and signed memoranda of cooperation.

At the meeting, Fan Xiaoping, President of the Inner Mongolia Women Entrepreneurs Chamber of Commerce, presided and delivered a welcome address, and business representatives from both sides held in-depth exchanges on trade and investment, agriculture and animal husbandry, culture and tourism, education and training, and new energy. Fan Xiaoping then signed memoranda of friendly cooperation with Bruce Atkinson, Chairman of the Board of the Oceania Business Council, and with Hao Jiancai, President of the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia.

The Delegation: Turning Intentions to Cooperate into Projects on the Ground

Sunny Sun, Executive President of the Oceania Business Council, said the Council would continue to serve as a bridge and link between Chinese and Australian chambers and associations, providing Inner Mongolian enterprises and member companies with services in business exchange, resource matching, market development and international cooperation. Hao Jiancai, President of the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia, said the trip was both a homecoming and an exchange of culture and feeling, and that he hoped to take more "good things from home" to overseas markets.

Albert Zhao, a member of the delegation, Councillor of the Oceania Business Council and Secretary-General of its Business Services Committee, said: "Cooperation does not begin with a contract; it begins with trust. Over these five days, our friends in Inner Mongolia have given us trust of the most solid kind, and that has strengthened our determination to do everything we can to bring projects to fruition."

The delegation also invited government departments and entrepreneurs from Ordos and Hohhot to visit Australia, and Victoria and Melbourne in particular, at a suitable time, and said it would pursue project matching in the following areas. First, taking green agricultural and livestock products overseas: helping to connect with Australian importers and with retail and food service channels, studying inspection, quarantine and labelling compliance, and exploring routes for overseas display, warehousing and sales. Second, cooperation on cashmere and textiles: introducing enterprises that wish to go overseas to Australian design, brand and trade partners. Third, new energy and energy storage: connecting with project developers, general engineering contractors and buyers. Fourth, improved livestock breeds and modern agriculture: facilitating the two-way flow of technology, talent and trade. Fifth, professional services such as accounting, law, tax and capital markets: providing practical support for enterprises "going global". The delegation will also set up a dedicated liaison mechanism and report on progress regularly.

Before the delegation's departure, Wang Honghua, Party Secretary and Chair of the Inner Mongolia Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, said that Inner Mongolia's agriculture, animal husbandry and processing industries are developing well, and looked forward to using this visit as an opportunity to expand exchange and cooperation with Australia and the wider Oceania region and to help Inner Mongolia's quality products open up overseas markets. The Ordos Council for the Promotion of International Trade (Ordos Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese) said it would use the visit as an opportunity to keep promoting Ordos's distinctive and competitive products overseas and to expand practical cooperation with Australia in trade, agriculture and animal husbandry, and culture and tourism.

In the evening, the delegation visited the Mengliang Ethnic Customs Park, toured the Mengliang complex, watched the ethnic song and dance performance "Four Seasons of the Grassland" and enjoyed a banquet of Inner Mongolian ethnic cuisine.

Delegation of the Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia and the Oceania Business Council to Inner Mongolia

• Hao Jiancai, President, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia
• The Hon. Bruce Atkinson AM, Chairman of the Board, Oceania Business Council; former President of the Legislative Council of Victoria, Australia
• Hao Shiping, Executive President, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia
• Sunny Sun, Executive President, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia; Executive President, Oceania Business Council
• Lou Hongwu, Executive Vice President, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia; Vice President, Australia China Agri-Business Association
• Bai Meigui, Executive Vice President, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia; Co-founder, Jindi Breeding Co., Ltd.
• Li Xiumei, Vice President, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia
• Ren Ye, Vice President, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia
• Pan Xuefei, Vice President, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia; Vice President, Australia China Agri-Business Association
• Li Xiaopeng, Deputy Secretary-General, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia
• Georgia Qiao, Treasurer, Oceania Business Council; Asia-Pacific Marketing Director, DFK International
• Albert Zhao, Secretary-General, Business Services Committee, Oceania Business Council
• Tim Kelleher, Secretary-General, Accounting and Legal Committee, Oceania Business Council; Chief Executive, DFK International Australia
• Pan Minzhong, President, Australia–New Zealand Seal Society; Chair, Australian Seal Engravers Association
• Qi Fuli, Vice President and Chief Representative for Inner Mongolia, Oceania Business Council
• Tian Quancai, Director, Inner Mongolia Representative Office, Oceania Business Council; Executive Director, Inner Mongolia Linfeng Technology Co., Ltd.
• Fu Yudong, Director, Ordos Representative Office, Inner Mongolia General Chamber of Commerce of Australia

Scenes from the Delegation's Visit