Yet another multi-million-dollar investment into a property in the hub of Suva will soon take shape.

The 19-storey WG Friendship Plaza is expected to be constructed along MacGregor Road with civil works already having begun.

The plaza will be owned by WG International Real Estate Co. (Fiji) Limited, a locally-registered Chinese company.

Company chief executive, Hu Xiaolong, said they would be investing $115 million in self-financing to the construction of the plaza.

Mr Xiaolong is an architect by profession and also the designer for the Friendship Plaza.

The Plaza will cater for office spaces, 270 apartments, shopping mall, a five-star hotel, roof garden, parking lots etc.

“Fiji is a good and beautiful place to invest in, especially with the government policies,” Mr Xiaolong said.

“I believe government policies here are very important and if it’s not good, then investors will shy away.

“We would like to work together with the Fijian government to grow the economy with investments such as this project.”

Changing mindsets

He highlighted they wanted to change the mindset of the stakeholders on the construction of high storey buildings.

“Construction of 10 to 20 storey high buildings is taking place everywhere, even in China, Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

“We want the Fijian government  to know, that may be in three to five years time, Fiji will be like them with the amount of investors coming in to invest in such buildings.

“Upon completion of the 19-storey plaza, we hope it will be a bench mark to lure in more investors to Fiji. Such potential investors will come and see what Fiji has to offer.”

Construction works

The company is expecting works to begin by December, if all goes well with the approvals from various stakeholders involved in the project.

A Chinese construction company has already been earmarked as the main contractor for the project. The company will also soon be calling for tenders for local companies to be part of it.

Mr Xiaolong said: “We will be employing about 400 to 500 locals as well …. once it’s completed.

“There will also be a tender process for interested parties to be one of the prospect tenants of the plaza.”

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