Many cities and municipalities in the Netherlands have a partnership with cities in China. The cooperation ranges from ceremonial up to commercial activities. On January 28, Chinese New Year, a seminar is organized in The Hague to discuss the possibilities to strengthen these relations.
Almost all provinces and 27 municipalities in the Netherlands have a partnership with a city in China. For example, Amsterdam with Beijing, The Hague with Qingdao, Rotterdam with Shanghai, Maastricht with Chengdu and Groningen with Tianjin. Sometimes, there are only exchanges of officials, sometimes exchanges in the field of arts and culture, and sometimes there are direct economic and trade relations.
The Association Netherlands – China (VNC) has taken the initiative to organize a seminar to discuss the possibilities to broaden and deepen these partnerships. There is a lot of interest at Chinese side for this seminar, because China wants to develop a new ‘Silk Road’ in which the Netherlands is a major destination. The Netherlands is among the 10 major trading partners of China and it is of great economic importance to strengthen this position.
The seminar is on 28 January, the first day of the Chinese New Year. The municipalities and provinces involved will, among others things, discuss whether they can invite all Chinese sister cities this year for a joint working visit to the Netherlands. That could give a boost to Sino-Dutch cooperation.
