Amsterdam trade mission in China concludes

The Amsterdam trade mission in China has come to an end. During his visit to China, Minister Eberhard van der Laan visited the China Southern Airlines Maintenance Facility, Huawei Technologies, Bank of Beijing and China Construction Bank, among others. He also met with Mayor of Guangzhou Mr. Chen Jian Hua and the Beijing Municipal Government. "Our mayor goes out on trade missions to these countries and talks to government officials there to see how we can work together, and what knowledge we can share, like water management and waste management." says Charlene Verweij, a spokesperson for the City of Amsterdam. On Thursday Mayor Van der Laan attended the China Holland Business Summit. This was the second China Holland Business Summit, the first one was in Amsterdam in 2012. Then 35 Chinese companies visited Amsterdam to connect with potential trade partners. This year 54 Dutch companies attended the Summit in China. The City of Amsterdam closely collaborated with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and the Beijing Municipality for the summit. Mayor Van der Laan also attended the opening of a photography exhibition. The exhibition is a collaboration between Amsterdam based photography institution FOAM and the He Xiangning Art Museum in China. The exhibition is titled Still/Life - Contemporary Dutch Photography and celebrates the 20 years sister cities relationship between China and Amsterdam. "One of the things Chinese investors and tourists often find most interesting in Amsterdam is the rich cultural life." says Verweij. The trade mission concluded wit a performance by the National Ballet, who also did a surprise performance in a shopping mall.

See more pictures of the trade mission to China here.