The first ever China Denmark Regions and Cities Forum (CDRCF) was held from 5 to 6 of December in Beijing, where local governments and businesses from both countries were provided with a whole new framework for more active dialogue and potential cooperation, reports the Embassy of Denmark, China.
In the opening ceremony, six cooperation agreements were signed between Chinese and Danish commercial and municipal partners on agriculture, wastewater treatment, dairy and organic farm, tourism, and finance. These fields represent those where Denmark is willing to further strengthen its all-out cooperation with China, and share its world leading knowhow and expertise.
Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Karen Ellemann, Danish Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Gender Equality opened the conference and delivered opening speeches. Li Xiaolin, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Minister Karen Ellemann witnessed the signing.
A. Carsten Damsgaard, Denmark’s Ambassdor to China said: “We are glad to see participants from both Denmark and China satisfied with this forum, its rising role in the Sino-Danish political exchange on the local level, as well as its various outcomes.”
“The forum’s main themes, including Green Urbanisation, Public Health, Sustainable Food and Agriculture, and People-to-People Dialogue, have generated a lot of common interests, and will surely be put at the center of bilateral cooperation, as the Chinese government has prioritized some of these areas in its latest development and reform plans.”
In total, over 400 representatives participated in the forum, which was hosted by the Royal Danish Embassy in Beijing and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
The Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Frank Jensen and Mayor of Aarhus Jacob Bundsgaard led delegations to Beijing for the CDRCF, respectively, along with John S. Andersen – Mayor of Frederikssund Municipality and Daniel Rugholm Vice-Mayor of Hjoerring Municipality, as well as high level representatives from Region South and Central Region.
During the Lord Mayor’s visit, he announced that Copenhagen would co-host Beijing Design Week 2018, offering Danish designers, architects and urban planners a one-of-a-kind opportunity to showcase their state-of-the-art works to the Chinese and international audience. Copenhagen will be the Beijing Design Week’s seventh co-host city.
Prior to the opening, the Danish Minister and mayors also toured along the streets of Beijing on bicycles provided by Mobike, a Chinese on-demand bicycle sharing service.
Two agreements were signed on the local government level, along with one government-business joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on wastewater treatment, and two other business MoUs on dairy and organic farm.
The CDRCF aims to offer representatives from cities, regions and provinces as well as companies of both countries great opportunities to gain valuable insight into the work areas of their counterparts and peers, and to further engage on a local political level in China.
Enhanced cooperation at the local political level is at the center of the Sino-Danish bilateral relations, while knowledge exchange in business sectors, including, but not limited to, environmental protection, infrastructure, sustainable energy, food safety and health, also requires political involvement at a local level.
Source: Embassy of Denmark, China
