Deborah Lei, president of the China-Australian Cooperation Society (CACS). |
East West International Development Group focuses on developing residential and commercial real estate. At the moment, its main project is Ruiban Garden in Ipswich. With a total investment of 350 million Australian dollars ($366 million), the project includes residential houses, shopping malls, child care centers and gardens. The project has obtained approval of the Ipswich city council and Queensland state government.
The CACS is an international non-profit public welfare organization officially registered in Australia in October 2008. The society devotes itself to promoting cultural communication and cooperation between China and Australia in such fields as public benefit activities, medical and educational research, as well as people-to-people diplomacy. It also helps hold communication events that are beneficial to the common social welfare of both countries.
Deborah Lei has invested AU$10 million to establish the society and the Deborah Lei Foundation. From 2006 to 2009, the foundation has helped about 100 girls per year from needy families in west China go to school in hopes of helping them stay away from poverty by acquiring practical skills.
In October 2010, Lei won the title of “2010 World Outstanding Young Businessperson” presented by Fernando Chui Sai On, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region. On Dec 16, 2011, Lei accepted an interview from Xinhua News Agency and shared her thoughts on China’s restrictive property market policies, detailing her overseas real estate development experience and offering policies that could be used by China for reference. Former Prime Minister Wen Jiabao invited Deborah Lei to join a delegation to visit three countries in Central and Eastern Europe from April 20 to May 3 in 2012.