The establishment of the Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as Lin-gang Special Area) has been an important initiative introduced by the CPC Central Committee to help further the opening-up policy. Benchmarked against the most competitive free trade zones in the world, Lin-gang Special Area will realise employment liberalisation, convenient access to information, open transportation, the free import and export of goods, and easier flow of funds. It will be built into a special economic functional area that will have strong global market influence and competitiveness and encourage more overseas investment to enter public service fields such as education, culture and sports, and urban construction, among others. The zone will strengthen infrastructure development and management, and enhance high-quality international urban service functions to build a modern new town featuring openness and innovation, intelligent ecology, integrated urban and industrial development, and a friendly living and working environment.

The cooperation between RIBA and SAE will jointly focus on international vocational qualification education and will cooperate in talent introduction, talent training, cultural festivals, city construction, and more by taking advantage of their respective professional capabilities and resources. This cooperation will promote the development of international education, introduce more international talents in Lin-gang Special Area, and help maintain a high-standard during the construction of the city.
 

CBBC offers its congratulations to RIBA on launching the RIBA International Talents Hub and on executing a comprehensive international cooperation initiative with Lin-Gang Special Area. Kiran Patel, Senior Director, Commercial, CBBC, said that China has a rich talent pool of current and aspiring architects. The initiative will ensure that they have access to world-class professional development from the UK, as well as enhanced career opportunities through this partnership, while also playing a key role in the future development of Lin-Gang Special Area. CBBC, as the UK’s national trade association working with China, is proud to have played a role in supporting RIBA’s development in the country through our Launchpad programme. 
 

The UK continues to be strongly positioned to respond to opportunities within China’s infrastructural development together with RIBA and a wealth of our members and partners. Lin-Gang Special Area is also a key partner of CBBC, and we are committed to driving activity to attract UK companies to explore the benefits of this partnership. In terms of recent developments here at CBBC related to economic zones and international investments, CBBC will soon launch the third edition of our “In The Zone” report in June and has launched a new suite of support services for our partners across China called “直通英国”.

Azlina Bulmer, Director of RIBA International, said that this signing ceremony will mark the beginning of a new journey for RIBA’s in-depth cooperation with China. In addition to its 188-year history and 50,000 members and architectural communities in 150 countries around the world, RIBA has always adhered to the mission of promoting the development of the world’s architectural industry. With the support of SAE, RIBA will build an International Talents Hub in Lin-gang Special Area in order to attract more international architects to the zone to receive training, obtain qualifications, and provide services there. RIBA will also give full exposure to its international architectural design resources to promote the international development of “Lin-gang Design” and create an architecture culture and community dedicated to Lin-gang through exhibitions, forums, seminars and workshops.