Chinese to build centre

THE Chinese technical team that arrived a month ago has ended its feasibility studies and has given the thumbs up for the proposed international convention centre at the Independence Park, opposite Parliament House.
“We have now all the requirements for the convention centre and will now pay attention to the culture of PNG and how we can incorporate it into our final designs,” architect Xu Lu said.
Mr Xu who is also  team leader said the team covered all facets of design, location, materials and other technical issues and was confident the project “can be done” and “must go ahead”.
“After concluding our studies, we also recognise that there is a real need for such a centre and once completed, it will be the biggest convention facility in the Pacific region,” he added. 
He also noted that the team’s visit further strengthened the China-PNG bilateral relations.
Civil Aviation, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Charles Abel signed the final meeting minutes between the Chinese experts and the PNG Government on the construction of the centre last Friday.
Mr Abel is pleased that the process has finally started after a long planning process that “has been sometime in the making”. 
Upon their return to China, they will compile a report which should contain all specifications, including the costs.
It is believed another team will come next to finalise the design.
The centre, reportedly to be funded by the Chinese government, will have a main conference hall with the capacity of 700 and will also have other smaller rooms and areas for various events. 
The building area is to be 8,755 square metres and the land area 2.5 ha.