Currently a delegation from Zuid-Holland Province and around 50 companies and knowledge institutes are on a trade mission in Hebei. On the website of Zuid-Holland Province a first report can be found with some results so far.

Read the report (in Dutch)

On 3^rd September, a signing ceremony launched a strategic development and cooperation agreement between the New Area District and Dutch DHV Group. DHV (Shanghai) Co,. Ltd. will provide overall and integrated solutions to the port, industry and urban development. The Secretary of party branch of the Work Committee in Bohai New Area, the Secretary of Organizing Committee, Huanghua Party Secretary Hui Xueyong and the representatives from DHV presented and signed on the agreement.

The ceremony was presided over by the Deputy Secretary of party branch of the Work Committee in Bohai New Area, the Executive Deputy Director Yin Enyuan. A number of Dutch specialists from DHV and main leader from the District and “One City & Three Garden” program attended, such as Jia Lingfa, Bian Laogang, Wei Hongjiang, Xia Fuke, Lv Zhenhua, Zhang Zhaotang, Dong Wenchang.

Before the ceremony, all parties gathered and discussed about the development plan in terms of guiding principles, perspectives and methods. Mr. Hui Xueyong stressed 4 key ideas and friendly advices to DHV Group. Firstly, to analyze respectively the advantage and disadvantage of the port, industry and city designing, then to give an improvement scheme embedded a perspective of internationalization and modernization. Secondly, to learn the successful examples in the world wide  to develop a feasible and integrated program for the New Area, for instance, how to develop, operate and manage the port; how to cluster the industries, and the relation between industrial agglomeration and population problem. Thirdly, to make clear the role of local government in regard to the question of interactive development among the port, industry and city. At last, after a plan is produced, what the priority for the New Area would be, and how to make sure the work moves on the right track.

The Group’s senior economic expert Hans Vermij and Coastal planning expert Frank de Graaf took Rotterdam, Shenzhen, Caofeidian and the other regions as examples, demonstrated and explained the interrelation between company strength,  the port and the industrial development, the problems confronted in the coastal city’s development, and Bohai New Area’s strategic positioning. The expert’s opinions were, Huanghua Port owns the world's first range of facilities with great potential. The current strategy of bringing in more energy-intensive industries is suitable, and the new town is well planned. On the purpose of harbor development, it’s necessary to make good use of the energy and land, and consequently set up effort to attract investment, boost the industrial development, which will attract migration flow of population and expand the city eventually. Furthermore, the significance of water to city was also explained during the meeting.

As reported, the experts from DHV Group will spend two more days and pay a work visit the construction sites at the general areas of Huanghua Port, Shenhua coal wharf, Guohua Electric Power, the initial project of Huanghua New Town, and Nan Da Port Industrial Park.

DHV Group was established in 1917, whish is the largest international engineering consulting company. The Groups is active in the field of infrastructure, water facility, architecture and aviation, and they have involved in and designed Qingdao Olympic Water Sport Center, Caofeidian ecological city, and other port construction projects in Hainan, Shanghai and Suzhou.