Address by his Excellency Mr. Ivar Asjes

Prime Minister of Curaçao

on the occasion of the official opening of the first Consulate General

of the People’s Republic of China in Curaçao

and

the celebration of the Chinese Spring Festival

Willemstad, 15 January 2014

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening.

Tonight we are gathered here on a very special occasion.

In addition to celebrating the opening of the first official representation of

the People’s Republic of China in Curaçao, tonight we are also celebrating

the Chinese Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year. This is an

important and traditional Chinese holiday dating back more than 4000

years. It is a time to celebrate with family and friends and to wish for

prosperity, abundance and richness.

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I am honored to have the opportunity to experience and celebrate such an

important occasion with the Chinese community of Curaçao and other

guests and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a healthy,

peaceful and inspiring 2014.

It is with great pleasure that I officially, on behalf of the government and

people of Curaçao, welcome the first Consul General of the People’s

Republic of China to Curaçao, Mrs. Chen Qiman. I also would like to

welcome Consul Zhang, Consul Xue and the rest of the staff of the Chinese

Consulate General to our island.

As the People’s Republic of China is a major player on the global scene and

one of the world’s largest economies both in terms of manufacturing and

trade we are delighted that its government has seen the merit of having an

official presence in our country. The Chinese government’s decision to

formalize its relationship with Curaçao is therefore further proof of the vast

opportunities present here.

As you all know in its Coalition agreement of 12 December 2012, entitled

“Akuerdo pa un Gobernashon enfoká riba pas, trankilidat i prosperidat’,

this government has committed itself to work towards the realization of

close and lasting bilateral ties with friendly nations. In that sense also the

establishment of the Chinese Consulate General in Curaçao can be viewed

as the fulfillment of one of the policy objectives of my Government.

Ladies and gentlemen,

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The first Chinese nationals came to our island some 100 years ago among

other things as cooks on board of oil tankers of the Curaçao Petroleum

Industrie Maatschappij, the subsidiary of Shell International, that started

the refinery in Curaçao.

They were actually on their way to Venezuela but liked our island and

decided to stay. They opened the first laundries in Curaçao and later

diversified their economic activities by opening restaurants and a hotel

thereby becoming one of the first entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector on

our island. Today Chinese entrepreneurs dominate the retail food sector

and as owners of small and medium-sized enterprises contribute to the

economic development of Curaçao.

The bilateral cooperation between China and Curaçao offers a host of

possibilities. Tourism, trade, logistics, education and culture and the energy

sector are some of the areas in which our two countries can work together

and create mutually beneficial outcomes.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have just entered into a new year. Again we as a collectivity have the

opportunity to continue to build a solid future for our country. The task

may seem daunting but with a positive attitude and a grateful spirit we will

be able to build a society in which equal opportunity for growth and

development will be open to all.

In closing in I wish each and everyone of you “Gōngx fācáiǐ ”, which is

Mandarin for “Happiness and prosperity”. “Xiexie”, I thank you.

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