Events

Diplomatic pouch: With mike peters

Sren Jacobsen, minister counselor at the Danish Embassy in China, saluted the Danish wind-power giant Vestas last week as the company celebrated the 25th anniversary of its wind business in China.

At a Tianjin ceremony attended by officials, business partners and customers, Jacobsen emphasized the importance of Denmark's strong wind power industry.

"And the crown jewel of this sector, of course is Vestas. I hope Vestas will be continuously involved in China's ambitious development of renewable energy, design and produce more great turbines fitting the Chinese market," he said.

Before the ceremony, guests got a guided tour of Vestas' three factories at the Tianjin manufacturing base.

Vestas is the largest wind-turbine producer in the world and the company's headquarters are located in Aarhus, the second biggest city in Denmark.

The first Vestas turbines were shipped to China in 1986, and installed in Shandong and Hainan. From 2004, Vestas started investing in China and building factories. Today, Vestas has seven factories in Tianjin, Hohhot and Xuzhou.

The Austria Dances with China project continues through May 29, offering Beijingers free waltz lessons at a series of public venues. Gudrun Hardiman-Pollross, culture counselor for the Austrian embassy, says she was inspired to launch the project after seeing people dancing at almost all of Beijing's parks.

"The Chinese people are so zealous about dancing, and we are, too," she told China Daily. "We added four events in three days after the launch in Beijing, due to requests from participants."

Heinz and Karin Grossmann and three other pairs of instructors are visiting two middle schools in Beijing as well as park events.

Polish Ambassador Tadeusz Chomicki hosts a press conference and reception at his embassy May 27 for the Visegrad Group, the 20-year-old regionalalliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Slovak Ambassador Frantisek Dlhopolcek will make a presentation for the "V4" Group - his country holds the rotating presidency - and Deputy Head of the Czech Embassy Ivana Grollova and Hungarian Ambassador Sandor Zoltan Kusai will also be present.

After a Warszawianka folk song and dance program, guests will sample foods and beverages of the four nations.

The German Chamber of Commerce of Tianjin teams up with Bavarian Beer Keller for its second annual German Night in the port city near Beijing.

Festivities include German dinner buffet, free flow of Paulaner beer and live violin music in Tianjin's popular New Italian-style Town. (More info: http://china.ahk.de/)

US President Barack Obama plans to meet in Warsaw on Saturday with families of victims of the Polish presidential plane crash in Smolensk on April 10, 2010, Polish media reports.

Obama is expected to visit Warsaw's Field Cathedral to lay flowers at the plaque commemorating the victims of the crash which killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and more than 90 political and military VIPs. Obama will be guest of honor at a Central European Summit in the Royal Castle in Warsaw on Friday.

Embassy news can be sent to:

mike.peters.cd@gmail.com