China Timber Imports (Fwd)

[Karl Davies]

/* Written  8:33 PM  Mar 23, 1998 by econet in igc:headlines */
/* ---------- "China Timber Imports Seen Rising" ---------- */
/* Written 11:18 AM  Mar 22, 1998 by grbarry at students.wisc.edu in rainfor.general */
/* ---------- "BIOD: China Timber Imports Seen Ris" ---------- */

***********************************************
WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
China Timber Imports Seen Rising
***********************************************
Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises
     http://forests.org/

3/22/98
OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE
In a move that could drastically effect the Asian log markets, China 
has announced that its log imports will rise as it pursues stronger 
forest conservation measures while stimulating its housing sector.
g.b.

*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title:    China timber imports seen rising -- newspaper
Source:   Reuters
Status:   Copyright, contact source to reprint
Date:     March 22, 1998

BEIJING, March 22 (Reuters) - China is forecasting a rise in timber 
imports as the government curbs logging and at the same time 
stimulates its housing sector, the China Daily reported on Sunday.

``Timber imports will definitely increase, but not inordinately,'' the 
newspaper quoted an Agriculture Ministry forestry official as saying.

The growth rate of China's log imports will be determined 
predominantly by market demand, said Liu Shuren of the ministry's 
forestry products department.

Demand would grow with China's efforts to boost the housing sector, 
identified last week by Premier Zhu Rongji as a target of state 
efforts to stimulate China's economy.

Liu forecast strong demand for high-grade timber used for furniture 
and interior decorating, which is in short supply in China. Chinese 
warehouses had stockpiles of larch and other low-grade lumber, he 
said.

China, which imported 4.0 million cubic metres (yards) of logs in 
1997, would encourage timber imports and limit exports while 
implementing forest protection projects that would drastically cut 
domestic log output, he said.

The ministry aims to reduce log output in state forests to 13 million 
cubic metres by the year 2000, 43 percent less than the 23 million 
cubic metres harvest in 1997, the report said.

A separate China Daily report said the southern province of Guangdong 
had increased efforts to attract foreign investment in its forestry 
products sector, a source of $500 million worth of exports each year.

Sixty projects in timber processing, pulp and paper-making and fruit 
orchards had drawn cumulative pledged capital of $850 million, the 
report quoted Guangdong officials as saying. 

###RELAYED TEXT ENDS###  
This document is a PHOTOCOPY for educational, personal and non-
commercial use only.  Recipients should seek permission from the 
source for reprinting.  All efforts are made to provide accurate, 
timely pieces; though ultimate responsibility for verifying all 
information rests with the reader.  Check out our Gaia Forest 
Conservation Archives at URL= http://forests.org/  
Networked by Ecological Enterprises, grbarry at students.wisc.edu