Cement, Energy and Environment

Lei Qianzhi, Chairman of the China Cement Industry' pointed out that cement output last year was 626 million t, a 6.7% increase on the previous year. Some 6.11 million t of cement and 100000 t of clinker were exported to the US and Hong Kong. Imports of 2.7 million t of clinker were brought in from Korea, Russia and Thailand. Entry into the WTO will accelerate the pace of the structural re-adjustment of the cement industry and will increase the potential for foreign investment. Ms Xie )iajing, Senior Economist, Ministry of Constr uct ion presented a paper on the 'Prospects for China's Housing & Infrastructure Construction' in which she demonstrated tha t the Central Government of China has p laced great emphasis on expanding domestic demand to drive economic growth. She presented statis tical detai ls of urban expansion and the development of the country's infras tructure over the coming years. Dung Van Anh, the chief Representative from Lafarge's Beijing Office, in his paper entitled ' Lafarge's Experiences in Inves ting in the Cement industry in China', described how, since 1994, Lafarge had developed its presence in four production lines. He discussed the need for investment patterns a nd his company's stra tegy for further investment in the country. The CEO of JTC Interna tional Consul tant, Chong Chin H in, provided some thoughts about cemen t production in the Asean region in 'Update on Ready Mix Concrete in China', Par ti CLil ar emp hasis was pl aced on two important elements of the concrete sector in China; the prominence of the Shanghai market and the rapid development of tall buildings. P.K.Ray, Vice President, Market-ing, at Grasim Indus tri es in his paper 'Growing Cemen t Market & Opportunities in India', provided a general ou tlin.e of the industry in India pas t and present, and went on to look at the way forward through consolidation, acquisitions to date, and the challenges facing the industry. ConstructionAnalyst Imran Akram of Deutsche Bank, gave an excellent presentation on 'Global Cement Outlook & Reviewing indus try Consolidations in Asia'. Here he offered outlooks on Mature and Emerging Markets posing the question "Where to invest?" After d escribing M&As by global groups in Asia, he considered the role of the global players in the region, trading networks, and the new games to wa tch out for in ma ture marke ts before concluding on the opening up of larger markets in China and India. Another view of the region was at the heart of the paper byMartin Wilkes ofAsia Tradelink in 'Update on South East Asia', while 'September 11 111 &The Global Downturn Ramifications for Political Risk Issues inAsia', as the title suggests dealt with very different issues facing the region, including economic volatility, civil society, cross– border relations, patterns of economic growth and structure. A very comprehensive and detailed paper by Dr. Abdul Kazi of the Socie ty of Afghan Engineers dealt w ith ' Recons tructi on of Afghanistan-Priority Projects for infrastructure & the Cement Industry' . The paper will be a useful source of reference for companies looking to become involved in rebuilding the country's infrastructure, developing energy resources and expanding other indus tri es including the construction industry. Aseparate section of the paper details the current s ta te of the country's cement industry and its future requirements. Papers of a more general nature included 'Cons truction Prospects in Asia' by Adeline Wong, seni or Proj ec t Eng ineer w ith BIS Shrapnel, 'Environmental Innova tions in the Cement Sec tor, by Barrie Cook, Executi ve