China NL 50 year

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and The Netherlands

The Sino-Dutch relations began prior to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in the 17th and 18th century when Dutch traders of the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) setup a branding post in Guangzhou.

In 1795 the first Dutch ambassador stepped into Qing dynasty’s China.

He brought the best wishes from Holland, congratulating Emperor Qianlong with 60 years governance of China.

On 18 May 1972, the governments of the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of the Netherlands officially established established an ambassador level diplomatic relationship. In the last 50 years, the Netherlands and China carried out a close collaboration in many fields. Both countries profited from the collaboration enormously. Many Chinese and Dutch provinces and cities also established sister relationships.

China is playing an increasingly important role on the world stage. For the established world order, the Western world, this poses new challenges, risks and opportunities. The Netherlands is re-evaluating its relationship with China. A Dutch government policy paper “A New Balance” was presented in 2019 on the relationship between the Netherlands & China.

The Dutch government’s position on China is both constructive and critical. It seeks to pursue cooperation on the basis of shared interests, with due regard for ideological differences. “Collaborate where you can, protect where you need”.

With the new global challenges, both countries seeks further collaboration on issues such as climate change, energy, SDGs, circular economy, sustainability, elderly care, agri-food and logistics/transports.

Some of these sectors are also guiding principles for DSBP’s involvement in Dutch – Sino Business relations.

2022 is a special year in which China and the Netherlands will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations.

Together with our Dutch and Chinese partners, we will use this special occasion to organise a series of online/hybrid events in the above mentioned key sectors.

Stay tuned.

If you wish to be involved or require further information, please email at dsbp@dutchsino.com

Logo Design Elements

1. “Water” is the basic design element of the logo which consists of abstract water flow lines, because “water” has important meanings in both Chinese and Dutch history and culture. Since ancient times, China has had the philosophical concept of “Shang Shan is like water” and historical allusions such as “Da Yu controls the water”. The Netherlands itself is famous for its “sea coachman” and has a tradition of living towards the sea and reclaiming the sea to build farmland. Water conservancy projects such as China’s Dujiangyan and the Netherlands’ sea-blocking dam are well known to the people of the two countries. “Water” is the embodiment of the cultural traditions and national characters of the two countries, such as openness, tolerance, innovation and perseverance.

2. The main shape of the logo is the number “50”. At the bottom of the “50”, there are overlapping characters for “people”, “the relationship between countries lies in the blind date of the people”, which symbolizes the long-standing friendship between the people of China and the Netherlands. As early as 400 years ago, China and the Netherlands started economic and cultural exchanges through the “Maritime Silk Road”. “50” is unfinished, which not only reflects the important milestone of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, but also implies that China-Netherlands relations will continue to develop with the 50th anniversary as a new starting point.

3. The logo uses two colours, “China Red” and “Dutch Orange”, and writes “50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and the Netherlands” and “50 Jaar diplomatieke betrekkingen tussen Nederland en China (50th Anniversary of the Diplomatic Relations between the Netherlands and China)” in both Chinese and Dutch languages. This anniversary logo presents both Chinese and Dutch elements.