In Chinese culture, the concept of “guanxi”, or relationships built on trust, respect and mutual benefit, strongly influences business and government activities. Because guanxi plays a critical role in shaping business relationships, FII China has used it as the basis for its stakeholder relations program.
Instead of focusing on short-term, transactional relationships, FII and Canada Wood prioritize building long-term partnerships with key stakeholders—such as local developers who influence the use of BC wood, and regulatory officials who shape demand through mass timber policies. Often this involves providing Canadian technical expertise that is then adapted for local use. This creates a win-win situation where China gains in terms more advanced technology or regulation and BC wins in terms of more opportunities to sell BC wood products.
The signing of three working agreements in 2024 shows the value of this guanxi approach. The agreements—with a developer, a regional research institute, and a national centre for technology innovation—strengthen BC’s positioning in the emerging market for mass timber and hybrid construction.
With the Treezo Group, Canada Wood will provide support in the design of a seven-storey mass timber head office for the property developer, and advice on expanding mass timber and prefabrication construction facilities.
Mass timber will also feature prominently in a proposed 10-storey office building in Shanghai. The East China Architectural Design & Research Institute is actively advancing the preliminary preparations for the project. Under the arrangement, Canada Wood will provide technical support on mass timber design and construction. The institute is creating a dedicated wood design department to lead these efforts and establish a wood construction innovation centre focused on advancing mass timber research and adoption.
Promotion of mass timber at the national level is the focus of the third agreement, with the National Center of Technology Innovation for Green and Low-Carbon Building. The agreement supports the institute’s promotion of mass timber as a green building technology through resource sharing, technical exchange and support in developing standards and demonstration projects.
The close working relationships established with these groups provides valuable insight on the demands for wood in China’s mass timber sector, and supports BC’s efforts in terms of leveraging the growing demand for sustainably sourced wood in mass timber applications.
