Celebration of 40 years diplomatic relations

News article | January 19, 2012

This year, 2012, it will be 40 years ago that the People’s Republic of China and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level. This calls for a celebration!

Obviously Dutch relations with China go back much further than forty years. For centuries Dutch traders have done business with China, and the Dutch government has been represented in China for over 400 years. However, it was in 1954 that the Netherlands officially established relations with the People’s Republic of China. On May 18 1972, this relationship was elevated to the level of ambassador.

Over the past 40 years China and the Netherlands have come to a better understanding of each other and have found many areas of cooperation. We established close cooperation in fields like trade and investment, stability, peace, justice and culture. Our economies have become increasingly intertwined. However, we have enriched not only each other’s economy, but also each other’s culture, mind and senses. At the same time there is still much for China and the Netherlands to discover about one another. Therefore in 2012 we will look to the future.

Come join us! Throughout the year the Netherlands will organize various activities in China to mark this special occasion and further strengthen the bond of friendship with the People’s Republic of China. It all starts with the tour of the world-famous Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra through China. Their performance on February 19th in the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing forms the kick-off event for the 40 years celebration. This is followed by other events through the year, such as the Dutch pavilion at the Hortiflor Expo in Beijing in April; Dutch weeks with exiting Dutch events and exhibitions in Shanghai, Beijing and several other Chinese cities; a tour through China of Dutch design movies; the presence of the Netherlands at numerous fairs, from education to creative industry, to wind energy and marine resources. We will also organize many cultural events, with a special note for our partner OCT, which will result in eye catching exhibitions on design and fashion.

Keep an eye on our website and follow us on Weibo http://www.weibo.com/helandashi  to know what is going on in 2012.

The 40 years celebration has its own logo, representing the two countries, as a festive appearance that resonates fireworks. Each ring in the logo is made of characteristic symbols from our two countries. For the Netherlands these are windmills, tulips, ice skates and a cheese in the middle, and for China these are pagodas, pandas, fans and a coin in the middle. We will use this logo for all our special activities.