Diplomatic Pouch: With Mike Peters

The British and Chinese governments joined forces last week to boost the transfer of agricultural technology to low-income countries at the second Africa-Britain-China Conference on Agriculture and Fisheries in Beijing.

Fifteen European ambassadors to China, who also represent their governments in Mongolia, gathered in Ulan Bator during the past week for annual fact-finding and high-level meetings with officials from the Mongolian government, including Mongolia's President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and Prime Minister Norovyn Altankhuyag.

Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will make a visit to Hong Kong and Beijing on Dec 6-8. The popular royal couple will help open the Business of Design Week exhibition in Hong Kong, where Denmark is represented by a Danish pavilion, at which several programs about Danish design, fashion and culture will be presented. The visit will also put a spotlight on Danish food products.

A Czech company that specializes in high-tech commercial products presented a technology that transforms used cooking oil into plastic packaging at a seminar hosted by Ambassador Libor Secka last week at the embassy in Beijing.

Re-use of cooking oil has been a recurring food-safety issue in China's cities, and the process developed at a Brno university produces a natural polymer that can be used to wrap fresh food for storage or drinking cups. The polymer degrades after several months, so there is no damage to the environment.

"Because we know that the Chinese government supports the development and implementation of innovative technologies, we have decided to establish a branch in China and link the Chinese research and development in nanofibers with the global elite," said Ladislav Mares, CEO of Nafigate Corp.

Over two weeks, engineering students from Denmark and China worked together in Shanghai to come up with future concepts for the Danish audiovisual design company Bang & Olufsen. The results were presented earlier this month at Shanghai Jiao Tong University to the jury, university officials and the Danish ambassador to China, Friis Arne Petersen.

Thirty-seven students presented a total of six projects in this, the first B&O Innovation Camp in China. The students explored ideas for future consumer electronics that could pave the way for the company's growth in China.

"The camp also generates cross-cultural learning and strengthens the universities' abilities to teach the top students in new and creative ways," Petersen said.

Participants came from Aarhus University, Aalborg University, Struer Statsgymnasium and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The first EU-China innovation seminar was opened last week by Cao Jianlin, China's vice-minister of science and technology, and Rudolf Strohmeier, the European Commission's deputy director-general for research and innovation. Representatives from academia, industry and government exchanged views on how to work together in the areas of energy, health, information and communication technologies, and urbanization. Strohmeier also met Wan Gang, the Chinese minister for science and technology.

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

(China Daily 11/23/2012 page31)