Qingdao, Netherlands strengthen ties, seek further cooperation

A Dutch trade delegation of 43 members led by Andre Driessen, deputy head of missions of the Netherlands Embassy to China, visited the eastern coastal city of Qingdao from April 9 to 11 with a series of economic and trade exchanges taking place.

Meng Fanli, acting mayor of Qingdao, said that Qingdao and the Netherlands enjoy a history of friendly exchanges and the two sides have established multi-field and multi-leveled cooperation.

The Netherlands have strong competitiveness in many fields such as finance, agriculture, shipbuilding, electronics and chemicals with a significant number of influential global enterprises. Meng welcomed more Dutch businesses to invest in Qingdao for mutual benefits.

"Qingdao has made remarkable achievements in social and economic development in recent years. I hope that both sides will seize the strategic opportunities brought by the 'One Belt One Road' initiative to further cooperate in areas of shipping, logistics, environmental protection and healthcare," said Driessen.

Meng considers the mutual economic and trade cooperation to have great potential and promising prospects. Qingdao will learn from the Netherlands' successful experiences on many fronts to boost its social and economic transformation.

According to the Qingdao municipal bureau of commerce, the Netherlands has so far invested 71 projects in the city and the amount actually placed has risen to 1.81 million yuan ($262 million). Last year the bilateral trade volume reached $1.02 billion.   

The Netherlands-China (Qingdao) Business Seminar organized by the Qingdao bureau of commerce, at which the two sides exchanged opinions on boosting bilateral economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, was held on April 10.

The Netherlands-China (Qingdao) Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference took place afterwards, highlighting the investment projects and mutual cooperation opportunities in areas of marine engineering, agricultural research and tourism development. About 400 representatives from relevant government departments, local enterprises and business organizations took part in the event.

The 2017 Investing in the Netherlands Summit (Qingdao), the Sino-Dutch Modern Agriculture (Greenhouse) Technology Seminar and on-site investigations at local renowned companies were also organized during the three-day economic exchange.

Andre Driessen, deputy head of missions of the Netherlands Embassy to China, delivers a speech at the Netherlands-China (Qingdao) Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference held on April 10 in Qingdao. [Photo/qdbofcom.gov.cn]