Sino-Dutch round table “Mainports Yangtze and Euro delta and Sustainable transport and logistics”

Toespraak | 06-09-2010

Kern in drie punten:

• China and the Netherlands are excellent partners in the field of infrastructure and smart logistics. For example, we contributed expertise for the building of the Yangshan deep-water port in Shanghai. Another example is the Yangtze Corridor Project in which we are looking for innovative breakthroughs together.
• A ‘unique selling point’ for the Netherlands as gateway to Europe, is that we can offer a true multimodal hub: Rotterdam, Amsterdam en Schiphol are perfectly ‘linked’ and very close to each other.
• We are here to generate new ideas to make our cooperation in transport and logistics even closer. This involves the ‘hardware’ (infrastructure), the ‘software’ (the complete network in which goods are taken form A to B efficiently, economically and safely) and the ‘greenware’ (making the most of scarce space and sustainable solutions).

Ladies and gentlemen,

Intro

First of all I would like to thank DG Huang Rong for the warm reception we received this morning. We have met each other before. In September last year, here in Shanghai. At the end of last year, in The Hague. And now here once more, in the most dynamic city in the world. In the country that is now the world’s second largest economy! An achievement for which you have my warmest congratulations.

This round table is intended to generate new ideas and plans to make our cooperation even closer.  I have brought with me representatives from a large number of leading Dutch companies. Together, they represent the best the Netherlands has to offer in transport and logistics. I have every confidence that we can create new opportunities together.

It struck me at the World Expo that there were two countries whose pavilions were decorated with a crown: China and the Netherlands.

China’s pavilion actually has the form of a large, red, oriental crown. Magnificent! A masterpiece of harmony and symmetry.
The Dutch pavilion, on the other hand, is anything but symmetrical… It is an organic design. The focal point is a yellow crown.

Looking at the two pavilions, I see two designs that complement one another.

One is in perfect balance. An impressive building that catches everyone’s eye.  
The other is playful, full of motion. Not a building in the traditional sense, but a street. A trade route in the shape of the lucky number eight.

The Netherlands: masters of motion

It is for good reason that motion is the main theme of the Dutch pavilion. The Netherlands is a major player in the global transport and trade flows network.
We are the world’s fifth largest exporter. Bigger than Russia.
The sixth largest investor. Bigger than Japan.
The seventh largest importer. Bigger than South Korea.

Of every three yuan we earn in the Netherlands, one is earned beyond our borders. This makes the Netherlands one of the most open economies in the world.

Today, China is one of our most important partners. Already one in every ten containers that arrives at a Dutch port comes from China. In air freight we are Shanghai’s most important full-freighter destination in Europe. And the number of passenger flights between our two countries is growing as well. In May this year, for example, a direct connection was introduced between Amsterdam and Hangzhou.

Over one hundred and fifty leading Chinese companies have an office in the Netherlands. Many Dutch companies are active on the Chinese market, and often have been for decades. The interweaving of economic activities is increasing. Transport and logistics are the driving forces behind this trend.

Hardware

Ladies and gentlemen,
What is needed to be and remain at the top of the bill in logistics?

In my view, three factors are essential. I call these logistics hardware, software and greenware.

First: what I call hardware. By this I mean our infrastructure.

I greatly admire what China has realised in the hardware field. As an engineer I can fully appreciate your technical achievements, here in Shanghai and elsewhere  in China. This truly is a country of dizzying economic activity and unparalleled possibilities. Of all the construction cranes in the world, eight out of every ten stand in China. That is awe inspiring!

Size matters. That is why the government and the business community in the Netherlands are also investing heavily in mainports and hinterland connections. We have the largest port outside Asia. Very close to it, we have Europe’s third largest airport. We have the world’s second largest internet hub. And Europe’s largest inland shipping fleet. More than half of the goods entering our ports are transported by inland shipping. Safe, smart and sustainable. That makes us the inland shipping ‘world champion’.

Experience has shown that China and the Netherlands are excellent partners in the field of infrastructure. For example, the Netherlands contributed expertise for the building of the spectacular Yangshan deep-water port that has now been in use here in Shanghai for several years. Conversely, we are also very interested in your approach. This round table presents an excellent opportunity for exploring the possibilities for new cooperation projects.

Software

Ladies and gentlemen,
The hardware gives our countries their logistics strength.
But more is needed to top the bill.
In addition to the hardware, there is a second important factor: I call this second factor software.

It is not only about mainports. It is not only about infrastructure. What it is about, is a complete transport network in which goods and products are taken from A to B as efficiently, safely and economically as possible.

Our points of reference are not the separate links, but rather the connections throughout the worldwide supply chain.

For this reason, the Dutch ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam are presenting themselves together with Schiphol Amsterdam Airport as well as with the Dutch logistics community. We can offer a true multimodal hub.

I am proud that Chinese and Dutch partners can work so well together on improving the efficiency and safety of transport and logistics. A good example is the Yangtze Corridor Project. Together, we are looking for innovative breakthroughs. An even better vessel design. Spill detection. Waste management. The best training courses and educational programmes.

Because:
Every minute counts.
Every drop of fuel wasted is one drop too many.
Every  yuan efficiency gain means moving a step further ahead of the competition.

We are here in Shanghai to build on our existing partnerships and to explore new possibilities for cooperation.

Greenware

Ladies and gentlemen,
I have spoken about the hardware and software of transport.
I have told you that the Netherlands sets the very highest requirements for both.
And yet, that is not the whole story.

If you actually want to be in the lead and remain there, you not only have to look at the here and now, but also to the future.

A sustainable future in which we will have to make the most of the scarce space available in our mega-cities.
A future in which fossil fuels will become ever scarcer and more expensive.
A future in which our soil, our air, our rivers and our seas will have to become much cleaner to save the environment we live in.
A future in which we want to safeguard social harmony and distribute wealth so that everyone benefits from it.  

I am convinced that we as key logistics players will need to weigh these interests in the balance in all our investment decisions.

We need to focus on the third essential factor alongside logistics hardware and software: greenware.

For this  reason we are promoting Dutch mainports as being at the cutting edge of sustainability.  

One example of an exciting initiative is the launch of a project called the Grounds. The Grounds is a testing ground for companies and universities, located at Schiphol Amsterdam airport. Its aim is to develop new applications that help to make air transport cleaner and more efficient. For example, Delft University is working on an electrically powered transportation project, including a new parking concept that involves recharging cars while the owners are travelling by plane.

The ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam too are aspiring not only to be leaders in efficiency, but also in sustainability and use of space.

• A state-of-the-art dedicated rail corridor ensures that goods are transported from Rotterdam to Germany in one fluid movement, and from there, on to Genoa in Italy, 1500 kilometres to the south. Amsterdam is also connected to this line.
• In Rotterdam, increasingly more houses, offices and hospitals are heated with the residual heat from factories in the port area.
• And Amsterdam is trying to maximise the use of every square foot of space. How can you double transhipment in a densely populated area without building large extensions to the port? Amsterdam has accepted this challenge.

Concrete examples of improving the environment going hand in hand with greater efficiency.

Closing paragraphs

Ladies and gentlemen,
I have told you about our ambitions as a transport country.
Logistics is in our blood. I am proud that the World Bank ranks the Netherlands among the best four logistics nations in the world in terms of efficiency, quality and competence.

We want to take the lead in logistics hardware, software and greenware.
We want to side with creative and innovative solutions.
We are committed to every minute of time saved, every gram less emitted, every yuan of costs saved and every additional satisfied customer.
And we want to cooperate with the best partners who challenge us to excel.

China is a partner par excellence.

We complement one another perfectly. Everyone who sees our pavilions at the Expo sees our combined strength. The red and yellow crowns rise above everything else. Together we are a top-class combination. This round table offers us the opportunity to make our cooperation even stronger.

Thank you for your attention.