Pictured H.E. Ken Wu, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China.
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Netherlands invited guests of various strata in the Netherlands to a welcome reception at the Chancellery for the newly accredit Ambassador, H.E. Ken Wu.
The reception took place on Monday 20 May 2016. Mr. Ribiao Chen, Minister Counselor cordially welcomed the guests and introduced H.E. Ken Wu, Ambassador. To the surprise of the audience, Ambassador Ken Wu started his address in Dutch before switching to Chinese. The discourse was simultaneously translated into English.
Ambassador Ken Wu is a Civil servant. He has served his country in many positions. He was posted as diplomat to Austria and Switzerland. Ken Wu is fluent in Chinese, English and German. Ambassador Ken Wu mentioned his reason for being in the Netherlands and what his aspirations are.
A resume of address follows.
‘It is now perhaps the best season of the year in the Netherlands, and it is vibrant everywhere. It’s my great honor to work in this beautiful country. Upon arrival, I am deeply impressed by the enthusiasm and friendliness of the Dutch people, as well as their talent for languages.
A few days ago, when I presented the letter of credence to His Majesty King Willem Alexander, considering the fact that I can fluently communicate in German, His Majesty the King talked with me especially in German, which is a unique and unforgettable experience for me.
It reflects the King’s friendliness to the Chinese people and also urges me to speed up my Dutch language study. Today is my first try and I hope to communicate more with you in Dutch in the near future.
The exchanges between China and the Netherlands date back to 400 years ago, when the Maritime Silk Road stretching from Guangzhou of China to Rotterdam connected the two countries. Early in the 17th century, influenced by Chinese blue and white porcelain, the Dutch people made the Delft blue porcelain which enjoyed great popularity all over Europe.’
During his tenure in The Hague Ambassador Ken Wu aspires to achieve the following objectives.
‘Firstly, continue to work hard to add new ‘bricks’ to the ‘great mansion’ of our friendship Secondly, strengthen our cooperation. The high-level development of the Sino-Dutch relationship is deeply rooted in the practical cooperation in various fields. I would like to raise some evident figures.
Thirdly, to broadcast “The Voice of China. “The Voice of China” is the Chinese version of the Dutch famous entertainment show “The Voice of Holland”. It gains high audience rating since its introduction into China. In this age of globalization, in spite of the language and cultural differences, all countries are expecting to sing out their voices, The Netherlands is willing to hear the Chinese voice and learn its story.
As the Ambassador of China, it is my obligatory duty to sing out the Chinese voice and to articulate the Chinese story. I sincerely wish that, by my efforts, the Dutch people from all circles could have more comprehensive knowledge about the bright and long history and culture of China, as well as the great achievements of China’s modern development.
I wish that the Dutch people could feel the deep friendship from the Chinese people and see our firm determination on keeping peace, seeking cooperation and promoting development.
I myself and the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands would act as bridges and windows, and work hard together with you all to enhance mutual trust, reduce differences, eliminate barriers and promote cooperation
At last, I would like to express our thanks to everybody for your support and assistance to our Embassy’s work. I would try my best to perform my duties and push the Sino-Dutch relationship and the international cooperation to a higher level. I’m looking forward to having good cooperation with all of you in the future.’
Photography by Jan van der Loos.
