Rizhao contributes to global wood trade exchange

Traders, industry leaders and experts from 14 countries and regions discussed the development of the global timber trade at the 2023 China Global Wood Trade Conference, which was held from July 4 to 7 in Rizhao, East China's Shandong province.

The conference was attended by more than 600 representatives from home and abroad and strengthened cooperation and exchange between Chinese and foreign timber enterprises.

Several projects, including one involving an annual output of 50,000 pieces of intelligent furniture, one related to manufacturing 2,000 sets of outdoor garden antique products and a timber trade cooperation project, were signed during the conference.

Rizhao is currently China's largest imported wood distribution center due to its port, which is where most of the timber entering China is unloaded.

Official statistics show that Rizhao imported nearly 10 million cubic meters of wood, or 12 percent of the country's total, in 2022. Rizhao Port has six professional timber berths, more than 300 sets of production equipment and the most advanced wood fumigation system in China.

The city's Lanshan district now has a complete wood industrial chain, and the wood import and export business in the district involves more than 30 countries and regions including Russia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, and Poland.

Li Jiafeng, director of the China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association, said during the conference that the city's increasing imports of wood will help improve the overall level of the national wood industry.

"By building a factory in Rizhao, we can make full use of its geographical advantage to reduce production costs," said Lu Tonghua, chairman of Treezo Group, a high-end adornment board manufacturer based in Zhejiang's Hangzhou city.

The conference also provided a chance for Rizhao to attract investment and develop the city's industrial chain. Officials said the meeting also played a vital role in promoting the development of international timber trade and expanding the international influence of China's wood industry.