Ambassador reveals the ‘real Denmark’

By Yin Yeping Source:Global Times Published: 2015-8-30 18:48:01

A. Carsten Damsgaard, Danish Ambassador to China Photo: Courtesy of the Danish Embassy


The Danish Embassy in Beijing welcomed its new ambassador, A. Carsten Damsgaard, who delivered his letter of credence to President Xi Jinping on August 19 and officially became the Danish Ambassador to China.

Before he came to China, Ambassador Damsgaard served as the Danish Ambassador to Japan, which was a period he very much enjoyed and found relevant to his current job in China in terms of experience. Ambassador Damsgaard also served as Danish Ambassador to Afghanistan and Israel.

Although he has made a few official visits and vacationed in China, Ambassador Damsgaard said there is much he still has to learn from the country. In a recent interview at the Danish Embassy, Damsgaard shared with the Global Times (GT) his eagerness to learn Chinese culture and show Chinese citizens the true Denmark.

GT: What preparations have you made before coming to China?

Damsgaard:
This summer in Denmark I read history and culture books about China. I also had meetings in Denmark with Chinese scholars to give me an understanding about China and Chinese culture. Now I am here and very happy to be learning more about this large country, with its rich and fascinating history, on the ground. In the past few decades China has been in the stages of very rapid development. This is something that is reflected in the quick and comprehensive development of cooperation between China and Denmark.

GT: When was your very first connection with China?

Damsgaard:
I visited China for the first time in 2002 on an official mission. Since then, I have also enjoyed private vacations to China. So far, I have only been to Beijing and Shanghai, so I very much look forward to traveling around the country and seeing the rest of China. In September, I plan to visit the three cities - Shanghai, Guangzhou [in Guangdong Province] and Chongqing - where Denmark has Consulate Generals.

GT: How do you intend to promote cooperation between Denmark and China in regard to health and welfare for senior citizens?

Damsgaard:
The cooperation on these topics is something that is happening between the Danish Ministry of Health, its institutions, and the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China. A significant portion of our bilateral trade is also concentrated on pharmaceuticals, health and welfare. In Denmark, we have undergone a societal change, where we have more and more senior citizens with less people to provide for them. We therefore need to make sure that they can support themselves while staying at home as long as possible. Our experiences in this area could be useful in China, as our municipalities and elder care centers work closely together to secure assistance to senior citizens when they are not able to take care of themselves at home.

GT: What is the potential for cooperation in regards to counter-terrorism between China and Denmark?

Damsgaard:
Counter-terrorism is a common challenge for all of us. Recently in February, Denmark was hit by a terrorist attack in Copenhagen, so it is an issue that is very high on our agenda as well as many international forums. China, of course, has a special responsibility as a member of the United Nations Security Council.

GT: What are your priorities during your time in China?

Damsgaard:
I have a mandate from my government to take our bilateral relationship to a new high. Therefore my priority is to do what I can to contribute to the further development of our comprehensive and vast bilateral cooperation and relations at all levels.

That very much includes boosting people-to-people relations, for example, by trying to brand Denmark as an interesting and fascinating place that Chinese should visit, study or invest in. I would especially like to point out the investment opportunities in Denmark. We've had quite a few very impressive investments from Chinese companies in recent years. Of them includes Huawei, which has signed one of the biggest telecommunications contracts in Europe with a Danish telecom company. Currently we have around 90 Chinese companies established in Denmark, but considering the size of China, there is a huge potential for more. International brands are coming as well. For instance, Apple has just decided to place one of their two European data centers in Denmark because of our commitment to clean and sustainable development in terms of energy production. This means much of the electricity delivered to the Apple data centers in Denmark will be delivered by sustainable energy sources like wind power.

We want to further brand Denmark to be about what we are and can do as a country and nation today. Much of it is, of course, about our unique culture and history, but Denmark today is much more than Hans Christian Andersen.



Posted in: Press Release, Enterprise

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