Diplomatic Pouch: With Mike Peters

The Finnish embassy in Beijing announced that Aker Arctic has been selected to execute the conceptual and basic design of a new polar research vessel for China. The value of the signed contract exceeds 5 million euros ($6.2 million) and the polar research ship will be designed to accommodate up to 90 people and will have an overall length of about 120 meters. The vessel will be able to break through 1.5 m of level ice at a speed of 2 to 3 knots, including multi-year ice.

The integrated survey systems include marine geological and geophysical equipment, marine biological and ecological instruments. Helicopters with associated systems will also be provided. For the integrated environmental science programs, the vessel will have marine and atmospheric observing and sampling capabilities closely related with climate change monitoring.

The Dutch embassy in Beijing hosted a preview of its art collections, as well as artworks on display at the ambassador's residence, before the publication of an e-magazine showcasing the work. Guests got a guided tour around the chancery to "check out some of those hidden treasures", starting with a silkscreen printed portrait of Queen Beatrix by Jeroen Henneman that welcomes all visitors and employees. The portrait can be seen in many Dutch embassies.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its own collection of artworks, according to an introduction at hollandartinChina.org. The ministry also has the opportunity to loan many artworks in the general art collection of the nation. This collection is now being administrated by a department of the Dutch government called the Public Service for Cultural Heritage.

The British Medical Research Council and the National Natural Science Foundation of China have announced nine new funding awards to fill knowledge gaps in stem-cell research, the British embassy says.

The plan provides financial support to establish small-scale collaborative projects between research laboratories in Britain and China, and will increase understanding of stem-cell biology and undertake preliminary, pre-clinical studies to help develop therapies.

Britain's consul general in Chongqing, Simon Lever, and UK Trade and Investment led a construction mission to Chengdu last month to further boost the city's sustainability development and help it build a modern garden city.

The aim of the mission is putting new innovative British design on the streets of Chengdu. The team of leading British architects and designers traveling with Lever included All Design, Aedas, Arup, Foster and Partners, the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment of the University of London, Urban Hybrid Architecture Ltd and Wilkinson Eyre Architects.

The German embassy in Beijing, in collaboration with cultural organizations, opened the exhibition Examples to Follow! last weekend at the Iberia Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing's 798 Art Zone.

Curator Adrienne Goehler says she chose artists who dissolve boundaries between art, activism and inventions in a range of video works, photographs, performances and installations dealing with the cultural dimension of sustainability. The show has previously been on display in Bremen and Hamburg in Germany, then in Mumbai, India, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Send embassy and consulate news to michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/10/2012 page31)