In Beijing, the Ministry of Land Resources, People’s Republic of China (MLR) and Tianda Group signed an agreement for the cooperation in training program and demonstration project.

Under the agreement, Tianda Group is responsible for arranging MLR staff to visit Australia to receive training in management and protection of land and resources, sustainable development of mining projects and other environmental and safety issues. The first delegation successfully concluded their traning progeam on the 26th August 2011.

This 15-day training course included an overview of Australian government and legal structures, environmental planning and assessment, enforcement of environmental laws such as the carbon tax, the legal, the regulatory and policy environments of mine safety, sustainable development and mine rehabilitation, petroleum energy resources and approvals and other contemporary issues. Throughout the training, the delegation visited the New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage and operation Australian mine sites. The participants of the program said that through such training and study hours complemented with site visits in Australia, they were able to further their understanding of the regulations and practices of Australian land resources and environmental management of mining. They are confident they will be able to transfer their newly found knowledge to their duties at the Ministry of Land and Resources. 

Symbolic of the close multinational cooperation of this program, Me. Feng Wenquan, the Chairman of Tianda Group which sponsored the training program, and Dr. Mike Hasenmueller, the Director of the “Sydney World Program” at the University of Sydney where the classes were conducted, issued the certificates to the training participants at the graduation ceremony together.