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| PEFC has opened its new PEFC China Office in Beijing. The new office will provide market support and information on PEFC certification for Chinese government and industry decision-makers interested in promoting sustainable forest management. The PEFC China program builds on an existing presence in Japan, and extends PEFC's reach into Asian markets.
"Governments and companies around the world recognise PEFC certification as a means of guaranteeing that products come from legal and sustainable sources," said Mr Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of the PEFC Council. "PEFC has endorsed over two-thirds of global forest certifications, and the new China office demonstrates PEFC's commitment to this important and growing market."
PEFC China's newly-appointed Director, Mr Benson Yu, has extensive professional experience in Chinese forestry and wood industries as well as the national forest certification process. Before assuming his new position, he worked for IKEA as the Forestry Manager for the People's Republic of China and the Wood Procurement Manager for the Northern China area.
"By increasing the number of PEFC Chain of Custody certifications in China, Chinese producers will gain an effective and third-party means to provide buyers with an assurance that their products come from sustainably managed forests," said Mr Yu. "Due to the fact that China is the world's third largest importer of wood and one of the biggest exporters of wood-based products, the new PEFC China Office will help benefit PEFC certified companies, both within Asia and globally."
The occasion was used to introduce the PEFC China initiative to senior representatives of the Chinese State Forestry Authority in Beijing. Mr Li Dongsheng, Executive Deputy Director General of the Science and Technology Development Centre of the State Forestry Administration of China, congratulated PEFC on the opening of the office and said "China would like to communicate and cooperate with all forest certification schemes of the world, especially with the main international forest certification schemes. We want to learn and introduce the experiences made by them and establish China's own forest certification scheme to promote Chinese sustainable forest management and development."
For more information please contact:
Mr Oliver Scholz, Communications Manager PEFC Council
Tel. +352 26 25 90 59
Mr Benson Yu, Director PEFC China Office
Tel. +86 139 532 18765
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Editor Notes
PHOTO: (from left to right) Mr Li Dongsheng (China State Forest Administration), Mr Ben Gunneberg (PEFC Council), Mr Li Mingqi (China State Forest Administration), Mr Benson Yu (PEFC China Office) at the opening of the PEFC China Office
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