Premier Christy Clark and International Trade Minister Teresa Wat led more than 200 people to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong from October 30 to November 7. Wat also travelled to Vietnam from November 8 to 11. The trip included commemoration of the 20th anniversary of B.C.’s sister province agreement with Guangdong.
The names of the companies were released in May, but the government refused to disclose the names of the individual representatives. Wat spokeswoman Courtney Carne claimed at the time that the individuals did not give permission for their names to be published. The government responded July 13, however, via Freedom of Information with the full list of names. The list includes several people from the real estate and construction industries across B.C.
Among those on the list was Joseph Kwok, co-owner of Richmond-based prefabricated housing company Viceroy Homes. Viceroy underwent bankruptcy proceedings in 2015. Kwok told the Toronto Star last July that he had invested $30 million in Viceroy over the previous two years. In an unproven BC Supreme Court lawsuit filed earlier this year against Kwok, plaintiffs Yan An Wang and Yi Qiao alleged they were owed $3.15 million.
Elections BC files show a Joseph Kwok donated $3,880 to the BC Liberals on October 31, 2014 and December 2, 2015.
Another delegate was Huamulan Developments Ltd. president Dongmei Han. The Richmond company’s website said it wants to invest in “construction of student apartments near colleges and universities” and price the units at between $120,000 and $180,000 each. UIH Investment Inc., a West Vancouver construction, building contractor and supplier and Burnaby Board of Trade member, was represented by Zhenjun Ye.
Two executives from Royal LePage also attended: director of international business development Desmond Hung and Prince George broker/owner Rod McLeod.
Kelowna’s Dilworth Properties, a subsidiary of Emil Anderson Construction, sent Haynor Low.
John Henderson, the former mayor of Sechelt, went in his role as managing director of SSC Properties, a group behind a 400-acre planned community proposal near Sechelt.
Also on the trip were several representatives of the financial services industry, including Bank of China senior Vancouver branch manager Jennifer Guo Lihua, National Bank Financial Investment associate Evelyn Yung and associate investment adviser Christine Luk.
Clark and Wat were accompanied on the $289,191 junket by a deputy minister (Shannon Baskerville) and two associate deputy ministers (Clark Roberts and Fazil Mihlar), three aides (Sam Oliphant, Jordan McPhee and Andrew Ives) and a videographer (Kyle Surovy). There were also four staff and contractors from the Ministry of International Trade and Beijing-based Asia trade representative Ben Stewart.
Clark’s spring trade mission to Japan, South Korea and Philippines included delegates from Nu Stream Realty and Sutton WestCoast Realty, but Clark denied the trip included any promotion of B.C. real estate.
On May 9 and 10, Clark hosted Hu Chunhua, the top Communist Party official from Guangdong, for events in Vancouver. The Office of the Premier said it won’t release internal information via FOI about the planning and execution of media events around the Politburo member’s visit unless it is paid $360.
