NIA goes to China

Australia’s National Institute of Accountants (NIA) has teamed up with a major Chinese employment organisation to jointly deliver accountancy education programs in China from 2008.

The deal was signed in Beijing on December 11 between the NIA and the China Enterprise Confederation — China Enterprise Directors Association (CEC-CEDA), a non-government institution representing employers in China.

With almost 436,000 members, the CEC-CEDA was set up to promote enterprise reform and the upgrading of the management skills of its members.

NIA deputy chief executive officer Andrew Conway said the landmark agreement would greatly enhance the organisation’s involvement with the accountancy profession in China.

“Following China’s adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in January 2007, the agreement will provide opportunities to accounting professionals in China to enhance their knowledge of IFRS and the comparison with Chinese Accounting Standards,” he said.

“This agreement will greatly assist in providing China’s business leaders with a global accounting context, and we look forward to working closely with CEC-CEDA, whose members comprise many of China’s most talented finance managers.”

Conway said the deal would also provide accounting professionals in China with the opportunity to broaden their careers on the world stage.