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Mayor Len Brown and Councillors Bill Cashmore and Denise Krum led a delegation of 43 Auckland businesses to the inaugural Tripartite Economic Alliance Summit in Los Angeles.
“Auckland is New Zealand’s only global city and we are fast becoming a significant innovation hub in the Asia-Pacific region. The summit gives us the chance to build our trade and economic relations; to create exciting export opportunities for the participating businesses: and share knowledge in the crucial areas of transport and housing.” -Mayor Len Brown
At the bilateral meeting between Auckland and Guangzhou, Guangzhou Mayor Chen Jianhua gave the following speech about the relationship between the two cities:
“It is not good enough to bring the mayors together to be friendly to each other without having a sufficient reason. That’s what makes the tripartite initiative to bring business leaders from the three cities together so important.
Last year China became the world’s number one trading nation. Guangdong province accounts for one quarter of the nation’s total imports and exports. If we can introduce the best products and enterprises from Auckland to Guangzhou and to China, and see that our enterprises create and achieve cooperation, this will be a win-win strategy for both of us, and demonstrate tangible results for the relationship between the mayors.
The exchange of activity between the three cities provides a lot of development opportunities for Guangzhou. Next year during the next tripartite summit in Auckland, we are sure there will be more enterprises participating. In the coming months, we will provide the best government services for our enterprises so that they can create cooperation – which will be a solid foundation for the friendship among us. And of course it will provide another opportunity for the three mayors to drink together.
The GDP of Guangzhou will exceed Hong Kong next year and Singapore next year. We are convinced that in the near future the GDP of Guangzhou will exceed that of LA as well. Auckland and Guangzhou will always be good brothers, and our enterprises will always be the best partners to cooperate and work together. I am sure if we work together then I am certain that we will achieve this goal.
During my visit to Los Angeles this time I have bought a gift to the Los Angeles mayor – a set of books called the Guangzhou encyclopedia. It took us ten years to compile the encyclopedia on Guangzhou history and the books in total weighs one tonne. When Mayor Brown arrives in Auckland this set of encyclopedias will have arrived in Auckland by plane. It will be stored in four wooden cases – the best wood found in Africa.
I hope that our friendship will be everlasting, and I wish that all entrepreneurs from Auckland will come to visit Guangzhou. It has a large population, a large downtown area, and also the transportation and traffic is huge – we have a huge consumption of all kinds of commodities – one seventh of the whole nation. I am really concerned that the limited supply of milk powder and dairy products and seafood from NZ will not be sufficient for sales each day.”
Mayor Brown thanked Chen for a supportive and encouraging speech. He mentioned that the cities of Los Angeles, Guangzhou and Auckland have a collective economy of $1.4 trillion US, making it equivalent to the 10th largest economy in the world. That speaks to the opportunity that the tripartite relationship can deliver. Len Brown concluded by saying that he’s looking forward hugely to the second summit in Auckland next year.
NZ INC. traveled with the Auckland business delegation to the tripartite summit in Los Angeles. Representatives from 43 Auckland businesses took part in the inaugural Tripartite Economic Alliance Summit in Los Angeles. This follows the signing in November 2014 of an alliance designed to boost economic co-operation between Auckland, Guangzhou and Los Angeles. Len Brown and councillors Bill Cashmore and Denise Krum led the delegation. Auckland Council organised it with the support of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), NZTE and MFAT.
Media contact at Auckland Council: Glyn Jones 021 475897
ATEED (Auckland Tourism Events & Economic Development)
NZTE (New Zealand Trade & Enterprise)
