The BPAFFC received Monique Knapen, President of the Netherlands China Frienship Association(VNC), and Oey Toen Ping, President of the VNC Rotterdam Branch, on the afternoon of September 2. The two sides exchanged views on how to further their friendship and cooperation going forward.
Monique Knapen thanked Zhang Qian, Executive Vice President of the BPAFFC, for the reception, and recalled the special bond shared by her and her family with the Chinese people. “China has changed my life,” she said, recollecting the unforgettable memories when she studied at Peking University, interacted with Chinese audiences as a music program host at China National Radio, and was involved in cultural exchanges between the Netherlands and China when working with the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science of the Netherlands. She introduced that the VNC is a non-profit organization and its members overcome various challenges such as the shortage of funds to voluntarily organize a variety of friendly exchange activities, striving to help ensure that the friendship between China and the Netherlands will last from generation to generation. She hoped that in order to give Dutch people a better understanding of China, the VNC and the BPAFFC could strengthen personnel exchanges, conduct in-depth communication on topics of common interest, and continuously enhance practical cooperation in various areas.
Zhang Qian extended warm greetings to Ms. Knapen’s first ever visit to the BPAFFC in her capacity as President of the VNC. Zhang recalled the stories about engaging with Dutch friends in the last 20-plus years and elaborated on the composition of the new Council of the BPAFFC and its guiding ideas for external exchanges. Noting that there is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and Europe and the common interest of both sides far outweighs the differences, she looked forward to consistently working with President Knapen and other friends from the Netherlands. She hoped that the two sides could adhere to the path of “cooperation” as “partners,” overcome external impediments, and carry out colorful and practical people-to-people exchanges, thus injecting new impetus into the friendship and cooperation between China and the Netherlands.
