Huub Buise, Consul-General of the Netherlands in Chongqing: Chongqing! Unlimitedly Creative, Incredibly “Interesting”荷蘭駐重慶總領事包適：重慶！無限創造力，特別“有意思”

楊艷

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the 54th floor of Yingli International Financial Center， one can easily feel the strong pulse of Chongqing’s urban dynamism. Recently， we had an exclusive interview with Huub Buise， Consul-General of the Netherlands in Chongqing at his office. Consul-General Huub Buise， a gentleman wearing the tie in Dutch national color orange， talks about Chongqing in his eyes and his best expectations for the friendship between Chongqing and the Netherlands.

More than 70 years ago， the relations between Chongqing and the Netherlands were fostered. Chongqing was the wartime capital of China during World War II. After the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression started， the nationalist government moved the capital to Chongqing in Western China. Then， the Legation of the Netherlands was established in Chongqing.

An Incredibly “Interesting” City

Since Consul-General Huub Buise came to Chongqing in September 2021， he has visited many famous destinations in the Municipality. He participated in the Fourth China’s Exhibition of Four Famous Potteries and visited Dazu Rock Carvings， a UNESCO cultural heritage site. To him， Chongqing is an incredibly “interesting” city.

“Each city is special in its own way. Chongqing， indeed， is a very special city because of its location which is within the mountains and at the crossing of the Jialing River and the Yangtze River. There are high-rise buildings and interconnected roads.” Living in the city after half a year， he is impressed by the experience walking in the Nanshan Mountain. “To make it even easier to travel in city， I bought a Chongqing car. Every weekend， we travel a bit and see different Districts and different destinations.”

“In the past decade， Chongqing has achieved surprising growth in its economy. With creativity， Chongqing people have built unique architectures and transportation facilities， such as buildings on top of each other， interchanges， monorails that go through the building， high-speed railways， expressways， cable ways...... Mobility in Chongqing is very convenient.” Consul-General Huub Buise thinks Chongqing people， like Dutch people， are direct and hospitable. It is nice working and living in Chongqing.

Why Chongqing？

In November 2013， the Netherlands opened its Consulate-General in Chongqing， expanding its diplomatic missions of the Embassy in Beijing as well as Consulates-General in Guangzhou， Shanghai， and Hong Kong SAR. It is also the first Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Central and Western China. “As one of the fastest-growing areas in China， the central and western part has maintained relatively sound economic development momentum”， says Consul-General Huub Buise.

The Netherlands is located in the northwest of Europe， with convenient land， sea and air transportation. It is an important logistics and transportation hub on the European continent. The Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the largest one of its kind in Europe and a key distribution center for goods. Chongqing， at the juncture of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt， enjoys the advantages as a logistics hub. The Netherlands is a major exporter of agricultural products and food. In the future， more agricultural products from the Netherlands and European countries can be transported via the China-Europe Railway Express （Chongqing） in a safer and more efficient way.

“Chongqing is， at the end， the most obvious choice because of connectivity， which serves as an enabler to cooperation in trade and other areas between the Netherlands and Western China.” According to Consul-General Huub Buise， a very promising cooperation agenda is to enhance international cooperation in agricultural technology. “We are discussing with universities in Chongqing on how we can promote projects and explore new areas of cooperation.”

Consul-General Huub Buise says that “due to COVID-19， international traveling has been quite limited. However， it gives us more time to reinforce the networks in Chongqing. I hope that the pandemic could end sooner so that we can travel again and meet each other face to face.” He has high expectations towards the future.

Huge Potential of Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-Hub Mega-Region

“Chongqing and Chengdu have a lot of complementarities in the way they produce， their scientific development， and their innovation capacity. Chongqing is an industrial city， a financial center， and a logistics hub. We are seeing that the two cities are working closer by making use of each other’s strength and innovative capability under the development strategy of Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-Hub Mega-Region.”

Consul-General Huub Buise thinks that Western China has come to be a strong economic entity when Chongqing and Chengdu are working with each other across sectors， which makes it more relevant to how cities can evolve. Over 10，000 trips have been made via China-Europe Railway Express （Chengdu， Chongqing）. When the two hubs join hands， the connectivity and efficiency are enhanced， accessing bigger consumer markets. Now， an increasing number of Fortune 500 companies have established or are planning to establish their presence in Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-Hub Mega-Region， attesting to the favorable investment environment created by the Mega-Region for win-win cooperation. “In recent years， achievements have been made in our cooperation with Chongqing on various fronts. We are also actively seeking more cooperation opportunities with the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal Government and other partners.”

The 50th Anniversary of the Diplomatic Relations Between China and the Netherlands， Opening New Prospects for Greater Collaborations

On March 4th-13th， the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Chongqing staged in Chongqing the Netherlands Flower Installation for the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between China and the Netherlands. The Installation showcased interactions between China and the Netherlands throughout history by means of tulips arranged in the shape of Delft blue porcelain. It attracted wide attention from the society. 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations at the Ambassadorial Level between China and the Netherlands. Cultural diversity provides a broad space for exchanges and mutual learning， which will inject inexhaustible impetus into our innovative growth.

In recent years， the Netherlands and Chongqing have worked together in culture， tourism， science and technology， education， etc. “This year， we will host the reception to celebrate our National Day and the 50th year of our diplomatic relations. There will be cultural exchange events on paintings， sculptures， books， and dramas as well as seminars in education.” Consul-General Huub Buise says that “culture is the bridge of exchanges. With these cultural interactions， our peoples can enhance mutual understanding and mutual respect of our cultures. I hope that the two sides can further cooperation and join hands to pursue more sustainable and inclusive growth.”

從英利國際金融中心54樓的落地窗遠眺，能直觀地感受重慶這座城市發展的強勁脈搏。2022年3月春日，記者在荷蘭駐重慶總領事館包適總領事辦公室對他進行了專訪。眼前的包適總領事系了一條“荷蘭橙”的領帶，紳士范兒十足，與記者暢談了他眼中的重慶，以及對重慶和荷蘭友好交往的美好期許。

70多年前，重慶就與荷蘭結下不解之緣。重慶是二戰時期中國的戰時首都。抗戰爆發后，隨著國民政府西遷重慶，荷蘭公使館也將辦事處設在重慶。

一個特別“有意思”的城市

2021年9月，包適到任重慶，至今，他已游覽過重慶多個知名景點。他去過榮昌參加第四屆中國四大名陶展，還在大足參觀了世界文化遺產大足石刻。他認為重慶是一個特別“有意思”的城市。

“每個城市在某種程度上都是獨一無二的。重慶地理地貌獨特，處于嘉陵江和長江環抱的群山之中，建筑高聳，道路蜿蜒。”包適說，在重慶生活的半年時間里，徒步南山給他留下深刻印象，“為了出行更容易，我買了一輛汽車。每個周末都會帶著家人、朋友去旅行，到不同的地方看看不同的風景。”

“重慶的經濟在過去10年實現了驚人增長，重慶人利用無限的創造力，造就了諸多特色建筑和交通設施，層層疊疊的建筑，縱橫交錯的立交橋，穿城而過的單軌列車，還有高速鐵路、高速公路、索道等……實現了市民出行的便利。”包適認為重慶人性格熱情、爽朗，對于同樣性格直率的荷蘭人來說，交流起來非常愉快，他很開心能夠生活在重慶。

為什么看好重慶

2013年11月，繼在北京設立大使館，廣州、上海和香港設立總領事館后，荷蘭在重慶設立了總領事館，這是荷蘭在中國中西部地區第一家總領事館。“中西部地區作為中國發展最快的地區之一，保持著較好的經濟增長勢頭。”包適說。

荷蘭位于歐洲西北部，陸、海、空交通運輸十分便利，是歐洲大陸重要的物流交通樞紐。荷蘭鹿特丹港是歐洲第一大港，也是非常重要的物流貨品集散中心。處在“一帶一路”和長江經濟帶聯結點的重慶極具物流樞紐優勢，荷蘭是農產品、食品出口大國，未來更多荷蘭及歐洲國家的農產品，可通過中歐班列（重慶）更安全、高效地運至重慶。

“我們最終選擇了重慶，正是看中了它強大的連通性，能夠促進荷蘭與中國西部的經貿往來及各項合作。”同時，包適認為，加強農業科技發展和國際合作也是雙方未來合作的重要領域之一，“我們已與重慶的大學就加快推進項目建設和發展及拓展合作空間達成了共識。”

包適談到，“受疫情影響，跨國旅行受到限制，讓我們有更多時間與重慶同行建立更牢固的聯系。期待疫情盡快結束，重啟互往旅行，面對面交流。”他對未來充滿期待。

成渝地區雙城經濟圈發展蘊藏巨大潛能

“重慶和成都兩座城市在生產力、科技發展和創新能力方面有很多互補性。重慶是一個重要的工業城市，也是一個金融中心和物流樞紐，成渝地區雙城經濟圈發展規劃，讓我們看到了兩座城市正在發揮各自優勢和創新力，聯動發展更緊密。”

包適認為，兩座城市在各領域的全面合作，形成了中國西部地區一個強大的經濟實體，對于城市發展意義重大。重慶、成都累計開行中歐班列突破10000列，這樣的結合不僅提高了連通性和效率，消費市場也變得更大。目前，越來越多的世界500強企業已經或正在成渝兩地設立辦事機構，證明了雙城聯動創造的投資環境正吸引越來越多的企業加強互利合作，“近年來，荷蘭與重慶在各領域合作已經獲得一定成果。我們也正在積極地與重慶市政府外辦及其他合作伙伴尋求更多合作機遇。”

以中荷建交50周年為契機深化合作

3月4日至13日，荷蘭駐重慶總領事館在重慶舉辦了“中荷建交50周年荷蘭花藝裝置展”，以郁金香、代爾夫特瓷器為主線，展示兩國歷史人文等方面的交流，得到社會各界的廣泛關注。2022年是中荷建立大使級外交關系50周年，文化的多樣性為交流互鑒提供了廣闊空間，交流互鑒為創造性發展注入了不竭動力。

近年來，荷蘭與重慶在文化旅游、科技教育等多領域開展合作。“今年，我們將以中荷建交50周年為契機在‘荷蘭國慶日’舉辦國慶招待會，策劃組織繪畫、雕塑、書籍、戲劇等方面的文化交流活動，或教育領域研討會。”包適談到，“文化是交流的橋梁。通過開展文化交流，以文化聯通彼此，讓更多民眾在交流中增進對雙方文化的理解和認同。希望未來雙方繼續深化合作，攜手致力于推動更可持續和更具包容性的發展。”