2021年5月10日，中欧班列“江苏号”从南京货运中心鸣笛出发，标志着江苏省“中国南京-荷兰蒂尔堡”远欧线路首发开行。江苏与荷兰北布拉邦省1994年缔结友好省州关系，此次中欧班列的发行也是江苏与荷兰北布拉邦省友好关系27年的最新成果。Hello Jiangsu在发车仪式前专访了前来见证列车首发、来自北布拉邦省的荷兰驻华大使贺伟民，他跟我们分享了他对于两地之间未来友好关系的展望。
On May 10, 2021, a freight train loaded with 100 TEUs departed from the Nanjing Freight Center, marking the opening of the new railway transport route connecting Nanjing of China and Tilburg of the Netherlands. Jiangsu becomes the sister province with Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands in 1994. The freight train is also the latest result of the sister relationship between the two provinces. Hello Jiangsu talked with Wim Geerts, Ambassador of the Netherlands to China, who is from Noord-Brabant before the ceremony. He shared with us his expectations to the future relations of the two provinces.
中欧班列的开通是重要的一步
荷兰驻华大使贺伟民接受江苏国际专访
“我来自北布拉邦省，所以我非常骄傲能够参加今天的发车仪式。”荷兰驻华大使贺伟民告诉记者。采访当天，运载着防疫物资、新能源汽车部件等多个品类货物的中欧班列“江苏号”在中荷嘉宾的见证下从南京开往贺伟民大使的家乡——荷兰北布拉邦省。
As somebody from this province, I feel very proud today to be a part of the ceremony,” said Wim Geerts. With the witness of guests from both China and the Netherlands, the freight train, carrying goods including anti-epidemic supplies and new energy auto parts, left Nanjing for Noord-Brabant, the hometown of Ambassador Wim Geerts.
中欧班列“江苏号”（中国南京-荷兰蒂尔堡）远欧线路首发开行
贺伟民大使表示，中欧班列是非常重要的一步，为两地之间提供了一种新的运输方式。他说：“江苏与北布拉邦已经在空运和海运上有密切联系，而现在又增加了铁路货运班列。我认为这能够有力促进江苏乃至中国东部与北布拉邦省之间的贸易往来。”
Ambassador Wim Geerts said that the freight train is a very important step by adding a new mode of transportation. “We already have good air connections. We have good sea connections and now we're adding the railway,” said him. “We think it can really facilitate business between Jiangsu or the eastern part of China and Noord-Brabant.”
中国驻荷兰大使谈践通过视频发表致辞
发车仪式当天，中国驻荷兰大使谈践也通过视频发表致辞。他说：“习近平主席指出，共建’一带一路’倡议源于中国，但机会和成果属于世界。中欧班列的开通运行是实现亚欧互连互通的重要举措。荷兰是亚欧海运航线、中欧货运铁路的起点和终点之一，是‘一带一路’海陆交汇之处。中荷两国在‘一带一路’建设中具有得天独厚的地理优势。目前，中荷两国间已开通多趟中欧班列，逐渐成为两国物流运输的重要通道。特别是疫情期间，国际供应链受到较大冲击，中欧班列充分发挥其优势，成为稳定国际供应链的重要支撑，运输了大量防疫和生活物资，造福了沿线各国人民。未来中荷开展互联互通和物流合作的潜力巨大。”
During the ceremony on May 10, Tan Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands, also delivered a video speech. “President Xi Jinping pointed out that the Belt and Road Initiative originated from China, but the opportunities and achievements belong to the world,” said Ambassador Tan Jian. “The China-Europe Railway Express is an important step for the connection between Asia and Europe. The Netherlands is one of the starting and ending points of the Eurasia maritime route and the China-Europe Railway Express. It is also the meeting point of the land silk road and maritime silk road.”
“China and the Netherlands have unique geographical advantages in the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative,” Tan said. “At present, China and the Netherlands have opened a number of China-Europe freight trains, gradually becoming an important route for logistics and transportation between the two countries.”
“Especially when the international supply chain was greatly impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the China-Europe Railway Express became an important support for stabilizing the global supply chain by transporting a large number of epidemic prevention and living materials, benefiting the people of countries along the route. There is great potential for the connectivity and logistics cooperation in the future between the two countries,” said Tan.
2020年，中欧班列累计开行1.24万列，首破“万列”大关，同比增长50%。贺伟民大使认为，铁路货运在在成本效益、物流、可靠性以及价格上都有着自己的优势。“空运更快，但也更贵。海运虽然便宜，但是却比较慢。在江苏和欧洲之间有一条铁路线路为运输提供多一种选择，这是非常棒的。”
In 2020, freight trips between China and Europe rose 50% year-on-year to 12,400, breaking new records. Ambassador Wim Geerts believed that rail freight has its own advantages in cost and efficiency. “It is between air transportation which is more costly and sea transportation which is cheaper but takes longer,” said him. “And it's good to have this rail freight connection as another way of transporting goods between Jiangsu Province and Europe.”
“活力”是我此次江苏之行最深的印象
2019年，贺伟民第一次来到江苏，参加江苏与北布拉邦省友好关系25周年庆祝活动。第二次来到江苏，他用“活力”一词总结此次来访的感受。
In 2019, Wim Geerts came to Jiangsu for the first time to attend the 25th anniversary celebration of the sister relations between Jiangsu and Noord-Brabant. On his second visit to Jiangsu this time, he summed up his impression with the word “dynamism”.
2020年，虽然面对疫情不利影响，中荷双边贸易总额仍达到918亿美元的历史最高水平，同比增长7.8%。而江苏是荷兰在华最大的贸易合作伙伴，2020年江苏与荷兰进出口贸易总额占到全国的20%，经贸联系尤为紧密。贺伟民大使告诉记者：“我看到了很多在江苏的荷兰公司活跃在贸易、投资领域。同时来自江苏、来自南京的公司也在荷兰也非常活跃。我们两地之间在教育、交通、科技、农业等领域还有巨大潜力，在未来可以开展更加紧密的合作。”
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bilateral trade between China and the Netherlands still reached an all-time high of US $91.8 billion in 2020, an increase of 7.8% year-on-year. Jiangsu Province is the largest trade partner of the Netherlands in China. In 2020, the total import and export trade volume between Jiangsu and the Netherlands accounted for 20% of China's total trade volume.
“We see a lot of Dutch companies that are active this way in terms of trade and investment. And the other way around from Jiangsu companies from Nanjing, active in Netherlands,” said Wim Geerts. “And we think there's still a lot of potential in the period ahead in the field of education, transport, technology and agriculture. Those are all areas where we can even closer cooperation.”
两省创新合作越来越紧密
位于荷兰北布拉邦省的“恩荷芬智慧港”被誉为世界上最创新的区域之一。贺伟民大使表示，荷兰的创新能力来自于教育、产业和政府间的黄金三角关系。“三方联系紧密，为开放创新和创造力提供了沃土。”
The Brainport in Noord-Brabant is chosen as one of the smartest regions in the world. Ambassador Wim Geerts said that the innovation comes from a golden triangle between education, industry, and government. “They work together very closely and that way, they provide very fertile ground for open innovation, for creativity,” said him.
近年来，江苏以创新驱动打造发展引擎，同荷兰之间的创新合作也愈加紧密。2019年6月，在江苏省与荷兰北布拉邦省结好25周年之际，苏州相城区与荷兰智慧港、苏科思（SIOUX）集团就中荷（苏州）科技创新园在荷兰签订战略合作协议。一年后，中荷（苏州）科技创新园在苏州正式启用。2020年7月，中荷离岸创新中心也在荷兰成立。
In recent years, Jiangsu has built an innovation-driven development engine, and cooperation with the Netherlands has become closer. In June 2019, which is the 25th anniversary of the sister relations between Jiangsu and Noord-Brabant, Xiangcheng District in Suzhou has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Brainport and SIOUX on Sino-Dutch (Suzhou) Science and Technology Innovation Park. A year later, the park was opened in Suzhou. In July 2020, the China-Dutch Offshore Innovation Center was established in the Netherlands.
贺伟民大使表示，江苏和北布拉邦之间在创新方面有着坚实的合作基础，这种合作基础能够进一步促进开放创新。“我知道智慧港欢迎中国公司融入到它们所形成的创新生态系统当中。我们两省高校间紧密的合作也会成为今后合作创新与成功的一大驱动力。”
Ambassador Wim Geerts said that there is a solid foundation of cooperation in innovation between Jiangsu and Noord-Brabant, which can further promote open innovation. “I know that the Brainport welcomes companies from China to be a part of that and they've set up a whole ecosystem that China can play a very good role in,” he said, adding that the close cooperation between universities in the two provinces will become a major drive for innovation and success.
在采访的最后，贺伟民大使也分享了他对两地间的友好关系的展望。“我坚信，江苏与北布拉邦之间的合作会更加紧密。下一个25年，两省之间会越来越好。”
At the end of the interview, Ambassador Wim Geerts shared his vision for the friendly relations between the two sides. “I’m confident that the cooperation will flourish even more. The next 25 years are going to be even better.”
