Marecon participates in Royal State Visit to China
October 31, 2015
His majesty The King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima have paid a state visit to China in the last week of October. The State Visit by the Royal Couple was accompanied by the second-largest trade mission ever, featuring a business delegation from Marecon and over 150 other Dutch companies.
The delegation was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bert Koenders, and joined by Sharon Dijksma, Minister for Agriculture, and State Secretary Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport, Martin van Rijn. Between 25-30 October the economic mission linked Dutch know-how and aspirations with Chinese counterparts through a wide range of events like seminars, company visits, match making meetings and focused discussions.
The economic mission visited Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and focused on the programs Agri & Food, Health & Life Sciences and Sustainable Urban Development in which the last 2 programs were participated by Marecon.
Sustainable Urban Development
Related to the visit of the King to the Nurturing House in Dashilar, Beijing, a seminar was held on October 26 on the future of sustainable urban development.
Two speakers, Mr. Paul Procee from the World Bank and professor Zhao Pengjun from Beijing University, shared their insights on the status quo of China’s sustainable urban development and new opportunities and challenges that China will face in the 13th Five-Year-Plan period (2015-2020).
China is undergoing rapid and explosive urban growth and has a need to ensure the quality of life of its citizens. As leaders in smart and sustainable urban design, the Dutch succeeded in finding clever solutions to water- and energy related problems which threaten communities, economic capital, and our quality of life.
A clear example of the Dutch expertise is the concept design master plan for Shenzhen by Marecon and partners that was awarded earlier this year.
Alibaba
The Alibaba Campus in Hangzhou was the final destination of the Dutch state visit to China. King Willem-Alexander met with founder and Executive Chairman Mr. Jack Ma to talk about the increasing importance of e-commerce, and the opportunities this development has to offer to Dutch and Chinese companies.
With millions of people buying products through Alibaba, Hangzhou is regarded as the e-commerce capital of China.