Lunch bij Bank of Bejing
Toespraak van minister De Jager tijdens lunch bij de Bank of Bejing waarbij hij ingaat op de samenwerking tussen ING en de Bank of Bejing.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very happy to be here. In particular, I am happy that a visit to Beijing was part of my trip to China.
And although it was a long trip, it was nothing compared to the journey made by the first Dutch trade mission.
In the seventeenth century, two very persistent Dutchmen, Pieter de Goyer and Jacob Keyzer, formed the first Dutch trade mission to the emperor’s court in Beijing. They made the entire journey to the court, coming from Canton, by barge. It took them weeks!
But what they did was very important: they initiated trade relations between China and the Netherlands. Relations we all benefit from today.
In the seventeenth century, tea was the most important commodity.
Nowadays, tea has made way for everything European consumers want to own, wear or drive.
Now, we are talking in terms of major investments and stable financial institutions to enable trading on a global scale.
But this little piece of history that we share has something to tell us. The Dutch were the first European nation to acknowledge the importance of China as a trading partner. And they were keen to invest in this relationship.
China and the Netherlands now share a long history of commercial ties. There have been official diplomatic relations between China and the Netherlands since 1853.
Trading relations took off – slowly at first, but steadily!
Nowadays, China is a very important trading partner. Would Rotterdam be the most important European port, without trade with China? I don’t think so. So indeed, De Goyer and Keyzer were right to come to China, and to make such an effort to get to Beijing.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, we are taking a new step in our trading relationship, in the partnership between Bank of Beijing and ING.
Bank of Beijing is the biggest city commercial bank in China by total assets. It has more than 10 million retail customers.
ING has invested in Bank of Beijing since 2005.
Bank of Beijing and ING have worked together very well ever since. Their areas of cooperation have ranged from retail banking marketing to staff training and risk management.
They set an example. An example of excellent commercial ties between our two nations. I am delighted that the successful partnership between the two banks will now be intensified with Bank of Beijing taking a 50% stake in ICLIC.
By working together, partners get to know each other better. And this is the foundation on which mutual trust can flourish.
I hope that other Chinese and Dutch businesses will follow your example, for the benefit of both our economies.
Thank you.