Danish invasion in China – by ministers

Denmark wants to strengthen trade partnership with China. After President Hu Jintao visit to Denmark June 2012, two Danish ministers has been visiting China and today Prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt arrives in Beijing.

First the Minister for Business and Growth, Ole Sohn arrived to China this autumn on August 27, 2012. Next, was the Minister for Trade and Investment, Pia Olsen Dyhr who arrived on September 7 and she welcomed her boss the Danish Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt as she arrived on September 10.

It’s a planned invasion. Helle Thorning-Schmidt wants seven Danish ministers to visit China this autumn.

“There has to be no doubt. Our ministers have to visit China every year. I myself plan to come more often than my predecessor,” she told  Danish news agency Ritzau.

She won’t promise to visit every year herself, as the German chancellors has done for the last 20 year. In the same period Danish Prime ministers has only visit China four times.

“We need to do an extra effort in China. A part of that effort is to send our ministers to China.”

Pia Olsen Dyhr, Minister for Trade and Investment, Saturday gave a key note speech at China International Fair for Investment and Trade 2012 in Xiamen. Afterwards she visited the Danish shoe company ECCO’s factory also in Xiamen. ECCO employs well over 3700 people in China, and has 650 stores in 185 Chinese cities.

“ECCO has had an impressive success in China, and the company’s brand has been known among the Chinese people as a ‘premium’ brand. At the same time it is important that production takes place in an orderly fashion. I know that ECCO has had a lot of focus on social and environmental responsibility, e.g. by having its own wastewater treatment plant, involving their Chinese staff as well as focusing on preventive security” the Minister said.

On Monday 10 September, Pia Olsen Dyhr chaired the 20th session of the Sino-Danish Joint Committee in Beijing. The meeting was carried out on minister level for the first time. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen the strategic partnership between Danish companies in China and Chinese decision makers in the industry. Chinese Minister for Commerce, Chen Deming, participated as well as a row of companies and organisations.

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