A Nederland Office Taipei (NLOT) delegation team led by new Representative Guido Tielman and Deputy Representative Mr. Rene Beerepoot visited Mayor Huang Wei-che today (Feb. 22) at Tainan City Hall. The two parties discussed issues related to city diplomacy, culture, industries, and agriculture.
Huang Wei-che expressed that Tainan and the Netherlands have shared close relations for four centuries and continue to have frequent exchanges in the fields of technology and green energy. For example, Dutch company ASML has factories in Tainan and is working closely with TSMC. Huang hopes that there can be more technology collaborations in the future.
The Mayor also remarked that the Netherlands has great progress in the development of green energy. Since Taiwan and the Netherlands share similar population and geographic characteristics, Taiwan can learn from the Netherlands’ experience in flood control and conduct more exchanges to benefit the people on both sides. Huang Wei-che specifically mentioned the sharing of arts and culture between Taiwan and the Netherlands. He recounted the performances of singer Martin Hurkens in Tainan last year and remarked that Tainan citizens greatly appreciate Hurkens’ warm voice. The Dutch singer also left a wonderful impression of his home country on the local residents.
The Dutch built Fort Zeelandia at the present location of Anping Old Fort in 1624, initiating the development and history of Tainan. Mayor Huang invited Mr. Guido Tielman to return to Tainan in 2024 to commemorate the city’s 400th anniversary and the centuries-old friendship between Tainan and the Netherlands. The Mayor also expressed that he hoped the pandemic would be under control by that time and more friends from the Netherlands can come to visit Tainan.
Representative Tielman responded that he enjoys Tainan’s warm weather very much. This is his third visit to the city: the first visit was in 1991 when he was studying at National Taiwan University, and the second time was after his deployment in China ended, he brought his family to Tainan for a visit. Tielman remarked that interactions between Tainan and the Netherlands in the past 400 years have left behind numerous cultural assets, and he is glad to see both sides have continued this relationship. Nowadays, collaborations between Tainan and Dutch architects are typical models of interaction between the two countries. Examples include Tainan’s The Spring project, the new main library, and the soon-to-be-completed Xinhua Fruit & Vegetable Market.
Representative Tielman also mentioned that Tainan and the Netherlands now share a closer relationship than before. For instance, ASML set up a EUV technology training center in Southern Taiwan Science Park and the Dutch government has invested in Tainan’s World Vegetable Center. He looks forward to more collaborations in the fields of agriculture and high-tech, and interactions in other aspects as well.
Originally the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office, the Dutch mission was renamed as the Nederland Office Taipei (NLOT) in April 2020. Representative Guido Tielman assumed office in Taiwan in August 2020. Tielman is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has been an exchange student in the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University for one year. In addition to visiting the Mayor, the delegation team also visited ASML and toured a couple of historical buildings such as Anping Old Fort and Chihkan Tower.