| RICS International Governing Council Meeting 
				Fit for the Future – A Grand Transformation for the 
	Property, Land and Construction28-29 March, Beijing, China PR
					
						| 
						
						 RICS Global President 
						SeeLian Ong (L), President CheeHai 
			Teo 
			and RICS Chief Executive Sean Tomkins.
 |  The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS a member association 
	of FIG made history by having its International Governing Council Meeting in 
	Beijing, China PR, the first meeting ever outside Europe. Together with this 
	historic event, an international conference was convened. The conference at 
	JW Marriott Beijing had participants deliberating and discussing the 
	profession’s fitness for the future, the theme of the two-day event.  The conference was officiated by HE Mr. Sebastian Wood, CMG, the 
	British Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. The conference had a 
	number of sessions including lively panel discussions covering economy, 
	property investment, investment infrastructure, property market outlooks, 
	affordable housing, valuation standards as well as issues related to 
	urbanization and building cities of the future, impact of technologies and 
	innovation and that of land tenure and the vibrant land market.  President CheeHai Teo shared his views on global land tenure 
	challenges as well as responses within the area of land rights and 
	responsibilities. In the ensuing panel discussion, the issue of property 
	taxation came to the fore as well the desire for a national land 
	registration system. President CheeHai Teo opined that any system so 
	designed must aim to provide security of tenure rights, accommodate a 
	variety of tenure rights, provide clarity and certainty that leads to 
	efficiency in the delivery system, and thus a vibrant land and property 
	market.  At the two-day event, the FIG President took the opportunity to meet and 
	engage many within the RICS leadership including President SeeLian Ong, 
	Secretary General Robert Mahoney, President-elect Allan Collett, 
	Senior Vice President Michael Newey and Vice President Louise 
	Brooke-Smith as well as RICS Chief Executive Sean Tomkins.  At the closing of the conference, in addressing the theme, RICS Global 
	President, SeeLian Ong stressed the importance of standards, 
	sustainability and a strategic mindset. CheeHai TeoFIG President
 April 2012
 
					
						|  CheeHai Teo (L), Past President of the Chartered Institute of 
			Building, Prof Li Shi-rong, SeeLian Ong, RICS 
			Vice-President Louise Brooke-Smith (R)
 |  20 April 2012 |