COUNCIL REPORT Agenda Item 7.1 26 August 2008 POST TRAVEL REPORT: LORD MAYOR TRAVEL TO TIANJIN, BEIJING (CHINA), DELHI (INDIA) AND OSAKA (JAPAN) 28 MAY – 6 JUNE 2008 Report by Lord Mayor, John So Purpose 1. To report to the Council on the travel undertaken by the Lord Mayor to Tianjin, Beijing, Delhi and Osaka for the period 28 May – 6 June 2008. Recommendation 2. That Council note this report on the travel undertaken by the Lord Mayor to Tianjin, Beijing, Delhi and Osaka for the period 28 May – 6 June 2008 and the attached summary of benefits and outcomes. Background 3. On 29 April 2008, the Council approved the proposal for Lord Mayor John So to travel to Tianjin, Beijing, Delhi and Osaka for the period 28 May - 6 June, 2008 to: 3.1 travel to Tianjin and Beijing (28 May – 1 June 2008) to lead a Melbourne delegation as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Melbourne Office Tianjin (MOTJ); to be a panel member at the Asia Society’s 18th Asian Corporate Conference; and to undertake meetings with high-level government and business officials; 3.2 travel to Delhi (2 -3 June 2008) to formalise the Strategic Alliance Agreement with the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT of Delhi); and 3.3 travel to Osaka (4 – 6 June 2008) to meet the new Mayor of Osaka and participate in activities associated with the 30th anniversary of the Melbourne-Osaka sister city agreement and Melbourne’s membership of the Business Partnership Cities network. 4. The Lord Mayor was accompanied by Mr Kevin Louey, Chief of Staff and Mr Scott Chapman, Director of Commerce and Marketing Division. Councillor Fiona Snedden, Chair of the Business and International Relations Committee, also participated in the China component of the program. Key Issues Details of Travel 5. The Lord Mayor led a business delegation to China, with 20 delegates from 16 different Melbourne based organisations joining the mission. They included representatives from Archi-Tektonic, Australia Chinese Association for Biomedical Sciences, Baker Heart Research Institute, Carrick Institute of Education, City of Greater Geelong, Denton Corker Marshall, La Trobe University, Nucleus Network, OTEK Australia, Professional Solutions Australia, RMIT University, Melbourne University, Tianjin – Melbourne Students Association, University College, Victoria University and Vicland Corporation. 6. The travelling party to Delhi consisted of the Lord Mayor, Mr Kevin Louey and Mr Scott Chapman. They were joined by Mr D R Kaarthikeyan, the official representative of City of Melbourne in Delhi, and Mr Harish Rao, National Vice Chair, Australia India Business Council and President Australia India Business Council (Victoria). 7. The travelling party to Osaka consisted of the Lord Mayor, Mr Kevin Louey and Mr Scott Chapman. 8. Attachments to this report include a summary of outcomes and benefits arising from the travel (Attachment 1), itinerary and meeting program (Attachment 2) and selection of media clippings from Delhi (Attachment 3). Councillor Travel Guidelines 9. The Chief Executive Officer has confirmed that the travel undertaken does accord with all the requirements of the Councillor Travel Guidelines. Cost 10. Travel costs incurred by the City of Melbourne from the Lord Mayor’s travel to Tianjin, Beijing, Delhi and Osaka were $19,005.78 which included airfare $14,625.81, accommodation costs $2,804.98 and day to day incidental expenses $1,574.99. Attachments: 1. Outcomes and Benefits 2. Itinerary 3. Media clippings - Delhi 2 Attachment 1 Agenda Item 7.1 Council 26 August 2008 POST TRAVEL REPORT: LORD MAYOR TRAVEL TO TIANJIN, BEIJING (CHINA), DELHI (INDIA) AND OSAKA (JAPAN) 28 MAY – 6 JUNE 2008 OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS Tianjin & Beijing • The Lord Mayor led a business delegation to China. This was the largest City of Melbourne organised business delegation recorded with 20 participants representing 16 organizations. • The Lord Mayor delivered remarks during a plenary session at the Asia Society’s 18th Asian Corporate Conference, in Tianjin, which was attended by over 1,000 participants from all over the world. Lord Mayor spoke on Melbourne’s capabilities in environmental sustainability and liveability industries, while also strengthening Melbourne’s global positioning as a leading business, cultural and visitor destination for the region. Other panellists speaking at this high-level event included Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister of Delhi, Grace Fu, Minister of State for National Development of Singapore, Huang Xingguo, Mayor of Tianjin, and Hamdan bin Rashd Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. • In Tianjin, the Lord Mayor hosted and attended a number of activities associated with the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Melbourne Office Tianjin (MOTJ), including the Melbourne-Tianjin Photographic Exhibition, MOTJ 10th Anniversary Gala lunch, and a courtesy call with the Mayor of Tianjin. • The Lord Mayor participated in the ground breaking ceremony for the first Australian Rules Football (AFL) ground in Tianjin. The MOTJ has facilitated a joint initiative between the AFL and Tianjin Binhai Development Group to develop a community standard AFL football ground. • The Lord Mayor conducted a media conference with a number of Tianjin local media including Tianjin TV, Tianjin Radio, Tianjin Evening Paper, City Express, Tianjin Binhai TV, Tianjin Daily, Tianjin Daily Update, Holiday 100 and Tianjin Economics Weekly. This resulted in an opportunity to promote the MOTJ and the 28-year Melbourne Tianjin sister city relationship. • The Lord Mayor met with Mr Ren Xuefeng, Vice Mayor of Tianjin; Mr Ren was the leader of Tianjin Government Leaders Group two. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Lord Mayor witnessed the signing of a number of co-operative agreements between business mission participants and Tianjin partners including: o an education exchange Memorandum of Understanding between RMIT and Tianjin Normal University; o a biomedical Memorandum of Understanding between Nankai University and the Australia Chinese Association for Biomedical Sciences; o an investment agreement between Tianjin Pharmaceutical Research Institute and Atholl Science and Technology Business Consulting; o an agreement between the AFL and Tianjin Binhai Group; and o a statement of understanding between the City of Melbourne and Tianjin TEDA Management Committee. 1 • The Lord Mayor made a courtesy call to Mr Gou Zhongwen, Vice Mayor of Beijing. Discussions focused on continued support and strengthening of exchanges and cooperation between Melbourne and Beijing. The meeting concluded with signing of a statement on greater cooperation between Invest Beijing and Commerce and Commerce and Marketing Division of the City of Melbourne. • Lord Mayor met with His Excellency Dr Geoff Raby, Australian Ambassador to China in Beijing. The Lord Mayor outlined the City of Melbourne’s commitment to developing significant relationships with China and the achievements of the MOTJ. They discussed opportunities for Melbourne-based businesses leading up to the 2010 Asian Games and the Shanghai World Expo 2010. • The Lord Mayor delivered an address at Peking University at the 3rd International Students Sustainability and Urban Development Forum. The Lord Mayor presented on the sustainability and liveability of the City of Melbourne. Professor Tom Kvan, Dean of Faculty of Building, Planning and Architecture of Melbourne University (member of the business delegation) also presented at the forum. The Lord Mayor’s address attracted an audience of over 200 including international students, representatives of Peking University, Chinese government officials, and 20 mayors and vice mayors from various Chinese cities who are undertaking training at Peking University. • The Lord Mayor met with Mr Dai Xianglong, Chairman of National Council of Social Security Fund, to discuss opportunities in funds management for future cooperation between Melbourne and China. The fund currently has RMB165.986 billion in equity (from www.ssf.gov.cn). Mr Dai was appointed as Chairman in December 2007 after completing a 5-year term as the Mayor of Tianjin. He visited Melbourne in 2005 to join events to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Melbourne Tianjin sister city relationship. Delhi • The Lord Mayor signed, on behalf of Melbourne the Strategic City Alliance with Ms Shelia Dixshit, Chief Minister of NCT of Delhi. The agreement and its three year plan, will deliver the increased benefits of business and cultural ties with Delhi by raising the profile of the City of Melbourne. Ms Dixshit also requested to send a cultural performance team for the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010. • The Lord Mayor met with Ms Arti Mehra and discussed about problems facing the council in preparation of the city for the Commonwealth Games 2010, to be held in New Delhi, • The Lord Mayor hosted a business forum with the Australia India Business Council/Confederation of Indian Industry with over 85 senior business representatives present. • The Lord Mayor attended a briefing by the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games 2010 and also visited the venue for the games. • The Lord Mayor’s met with representative of major Indian airlines (Jet Airways, Air India and Kingfisher) to promote Melbourne as the destination of choice for new direct flights between India and Australia. An increase in aviation capacity will benefit the Melbourne/Australian business community as given India is the fastest growing trade partner of Australia. Additional flights will also benefit international education, inbound leisure and ‘visiting friends and relatives’ tourism markets. 2 Osaka • The Lord Mayor met Mayor Hiramutsu, Mayor of Osaka who was elected to his post in November 2007 for a four year term. The meeting focused on the importance of the sister city relationship celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2008 and the program to be undertaken by the Mayor and president of Osaka City Council during their visit to Melbourne in July 2008. • The Lord Mayor and Mayor of Osaka planted a ginko tree at the Osaka Museum of History to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Melbourne-Osaka sister city relationship.