Michael Snow
On behalf of the American Hardwood Export Council, it is with great pleasure that I welcome all of you to the city of Chengdu for the 26th AHEC Greater China and Southeast Asia Convention.
The last few years since we met in Ningbo have arguably brought more dislocation and uncertainty to the hardwood industry than any other period in living history. While it seems that we are always reacting to the next major disruption, it is vital that we don’t lose sight of the major long-term issues that confront us and that the global wood industries remain united and focused on the opportunities ahead of us. We are excited to be here in China once again and look forward to growing our mutually beneficial trade relationship.
This Convention is designed to help further strengthen these bonds, as our aim is not only to introduce US exporters to Asian importers, but to also help foster the relationships between Asian end users and specifiers and the local wood processing industry and distributors of American hardwoods.
It is no simple matter to put the day-to-day running of a business on hold to attend an event such as this, and we have worked hard to bring together an array of top-flight speakers and experts from around the world. I sincerely hope that you find this Convention to be both timely and useful, and look forward to working with all of you toward creating an even closer bond between the US hardwood industry and Asia’s architectural, design and manufacturing industries.
John Chan
It is my great pleasure to announce our AHEC 26th SEA & GRCH Convention is scheduled on September 7 to 8 at the JW Marriott Hotel, Chengdu, China, after a three -year absence. I sincerely invite you to attend the most anticipated annual event in the wood industry.
Chengdu, Rong for short, is the capital city of Sichuan Province. It is an important high-tech industrial base, a key trade and logistics center, and a vibrant transportation hub. We chose Chengdu, a famous historical and cultural city to host the AHEC Convention this year, not only because of its outstanding performance in architecture, but also its great potential in furniture production and building materials.
Comparing with 2022, U.S. hardwood exported to China reached $112.5 million in January this year, increased 3% year on year, with U.S. hardwood lumber up 5% year on year to $80 million. The most popular U.S. hardwood species in China by value were red oak, walnut, cherry, white oak, ash and yellow poplar. They accounted for over 91% of the total hardwood lumber exports to China. We hope that through this important Convention, we can further strengthen the trade links of different timber-related industries and convey our environmental protection approach to a greater audience. We will be promoting the design and application of U.S. hardwood for the consumer market while addressing low carbon environmental protection, outstanding properties and design advantages of American hardwoods to furniture manufacturers, architects, interior designers, engineers and real estate developers.
In the future, AHEC will continue to promote sustainable American hardwood through various industry seminars and we will also work with partners to promote sustainable American hardwood to fight climate change in 2023, which is an ongoing mission and goal for us.
The Convention will be hosted by AHEC and supported by the Chengdu Furniture Association. It is expected to attract over 300 delegates and 20 AHEC hardwood exporting members are expected to attend. A mini-trade show will be held at the convention for AHEC members, providing an invaluable platform for networking with local traders, distributors, manufacturers and specifiers.
At this Convention, we will feature several keynote presentations to address the application, sustainability and lower carbon future of American hardwood for interior design and furniture manufacturing, new technology and lumber grading rules of American hardwoods. The head of the Chengdu Furniture Industrial Chamber of Commerce will present an update on Sichuan province’s solid furniture manufacturing situation and the needs of imported timber to meet the increasing demand in the years to come.
As the key organizer of the Convention, AHEC is grateful for the strong support from trade and design industries, associations, communities and media across Greater China and Southeast Asia. I would also like to thank the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service, the American hardwood industry and AHEC members for their continual support. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the delegates and participants for attending the event and I wish you all an enjoyable Convention. I am confident you will make new business partnerships and explore new business opportunities while enjoying the AHEC program we have planned for you.
