On the picture H.E. Wu Ken Ambassador of the People Republic of China.
A Reception Marking the 45th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations at Ambassadorial Level between China and the Netherlands
People turn out in great numbers to celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level between China and the Netherlands.
After a cordial welcome H.E. Wu Ken Ambassador of the People Republic of China delivered an elaborated discourse. To the surprise of many, the speech was in Dutch. The following is a resume of Ambassador Wu Ken’s remarks:
“On this special day, it is a great honor to have you here at the Chinese Embassy to celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level between China and the Netherlands.
The welcoming ceremony in honor of the arrival of Wu Wen and Xing Ya, the two Giant Pandas’ arrival in the Netherlands last month has been impressive. The luxurious welcome they received—escorted by dozens of police motorcade—was comparable to that reserved for heads of state.
For addition la pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157684286569346
The arrival of the Giant Pandas, together with the grand ceremony hosted by the Dutch side has become a new landmark in the history of the China-Netherlands friendship. It demonstrates that the China-Netherlands relationship has, after 45 years’ development, reached its prime time in the history and entered into the “fast track” of comprehensive, all-dimensional and multi-level development.
The past 45 years have witnessed the deepening of our mutual trust. With the frequent high-level visits between our two countries, our political trust and strategic coordination have been continuously strengthened.
Princess Beatrix visited China as early as in 1977 and she was one of the first royal members from Europe to visit China. And later in 1999, she visited China again as Queen, precluding the boom of our bilateral high-level exchanges in the new century. Since the year 2000, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander has separately attended the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics 2008 and activities of Shanghai Expo 2010, while Prime Minister Balkenende has visited China for four times and Prime Minister Rutte for twice.
Especially in 2014 and 2015, with the historic exchange visits by President Xi Jinping and King Willem-Alexander, both sides decided to establish an “Open and Pragmatic Partnership for Comprehensive Cooperation”, which laid a solid strategic foundation for the future development of our bilateral relations.
The past 45 years have also witnessed our mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation. The bilateral trade volume grew from a mere US$69 million in 1972 to US$67.2 billion in 2016, an increase of almost 1000 times in 45 years, makes the Netherlands the third largest investor from the EU. Meanwhile, China has invested almost 600 projects in the Netherlands which cover various industries and create about 10 thousand jobs.
10 Dutch secondary schools have set up Confucius Classroom and the number will get 13 this year. In China, two universities have established the major of Dutch language studies. About 9,000 Chinese students are studying in the Netherlands, which makes China the second largest origin of overseas students of the Netherlands. Last year the Chinese Cultural Center was unveiled successfully in The Hague.
At this historic moment, my heart is full of gratitude. First I wish to express my gratitude to Queen Juliana, Prime Minister Willem Drees and Prime Minister Barend Biesheuvel, with their far-sighted strategic friendship. Without your efforts and contribution, we would never have made such great achievements in the China-Netherlands relations.
In 2017, both China and the Netherlands will embrace important opportunities of development. The Netherlands is going to form a new cabinet and China will hold the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party. Based on the experience of the past 45-years’ development of the China-Netherlands relations, we hope to carry forward our cause and forge ahead into the future with the Dutch side to push the China-Netherlands Partnership for Comprehensive Cooperation to a new stage.
Wu Wen and Xing Ya will make their public debut., “It’s a small step for this pair of giant pandas, but a big step for the history of China-Netherlands relations”. We “three ambassadors” will work together to continue the joint efforts with all Dutch friends to push the China-Netherlands relations a great leap forward and bring more benefits to both countries and peoples.”
Ambassador Wu Ken and the Dutch Minister of Education Jet Bussemaker officially opened an exhibition depicting activities of the past 45 years. Minister Bussemaker delivered an eloquent speech in English in which she lauded the bilateral Sino-Dutch relationship. She is proud of having travelled often to China to enhance cultural ties amongst both countries.
Additional pictures on the spectacle presented on the occasion, please open the following link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157681644784272
After the speeches, invitees witnessed a spectacle presented by performers from China and the Netherlands, such as musicians, singers, equilibrists, jugglers, a talented animals sounds’ imitator and a great choir formed by Chinese diplomats from the embassy. They performed songs in Mandarin and in Dutch showing a great spirit of teamwork.
After the speeches and spectacles, guests joined an exquisite Chinese buffet dinner served in two locations, inside the building and outside in the large terrace of the Embassy. The weather was favorable to enjoy the day, mingling with diplomats, entrepreneurs, Dutch authorities, the Chinese diaspora and the like. the many tasty dishes of the authentic Chinese cuisine and mingling with diplomats, business people, Dutch functionaries and Chinese Diaspora.
