The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Villy Søvndal, visited China from 11th-13th December in order to further promote diplomatic relations with the Chinese government.
As part of his official visit to China from 11th-13th December, the Minister for Foreign Affairs had a meeting with the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yang Jiechi, in the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing on December 12. The two ministers agreed to continue to expand the Sino-Danish diplomatic relations. Furthermore, the ministers discussed international development.
“My visit takes place shortly after a decisive and comprehensive change of leadership in China. It’s important that Denmark and Danish competencies at the highest level are visible in China. It makes a difference in a country like China, and it’s helping to pave the way for an increasingly comprehensive cooperation,” Minister Søvndal said after the meeting.
Later on the same day, Minister Søvndal had a meeting with Mr. Le Yucheng, Assistant Foreign Minister responsible for policy planning. They discussed China’s role in the international society and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ own strategic foreign policy planning.
During his visit Minister Søvndal also had meetings with Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Ai Ping, and Mr. Li Jianguo, Vice-chairman and Secretary-General of the National People’s Congress in China.
On December 13, Minister Søvndal met with Dr. Wang Yizhou, professor in international politics at Peking University at the mid-lake pavilion in the Peking University campus. Together with the Danish Ambassador to China, Mr. Friis Arne Petersen, Minister Søvndal engaged in an open roundtable dialogue with some of Dr. Wang’s students at the School of International Studies at Peking University.
Minister Søvndal also had meetings with Chinese academics and civil society representatives in order to gain a greater understanding of China and the development of the civil society in China.
