Nearly 10,000 enterprises and trade companies they associate with will be able to make joint purchases in Qingdao's bonded area.

The association was jointly launched by the China Building Material Market Association, Qingdao Tianyue Int'l Building Material Free Trade City, and the league of presidents of the key wholesale markets in China.

Taking the Qingdao Tianyue Int'l Building Material Free Trade City as its market, the association will organize joint buying and distribution among its members in 20 cities.

Zhu Xianxiong, head of the China Building Material Market Association, is the chairman of the international association.

Li Qingyun, association vice chairman, said the total investment in building materials in major countries and regions worldwide would reach 4.1 trillion US dollars in 2003, and by 2010the figure would reach 5.74 trillion US dollars.

According to China's 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005), the average living area per person will increase to 22 square meters, which means the country is set to build 2.9 billion square meters of new buildings.

A range of public facilities will also attract an investment of several hundred billion yuan.

Imports of building and decorative materials have been growing at an annual rate of over 20 percent in recent years, and imports in 2000 hit 6.25 billion US dollars.

Tarek Abbas, Minister Plenipotentiary Commercial of the Economic and Commercial Bureau of the Egyptian Embassy to China, recommended Egyptian building materials to Chinese businessmen.

"Seven thousand years ago, the Egyptian Pharaohs also built their palaces and mausoleums with home-building materials, and they are all still standing firm and sound," he said.

In 2001, China imported 780 million US dollars worth of marble from Egypt, Tarek said, adding Egypt was eager to boost cooperation with China in the building materials trade.

Jp Bertrand, president of Granit Inter Belgium, said at "Tianyue" Belgium businessmen could buy more cheaply the same quality granite as Europe offered.

Li Qingyun said setting up the association had greatly promoted the integration of the Chinese and international building materials market. The organization was expected to grow into a flagship that could confront the multinationals.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2002)