On September 15, a delegation of nine representatives visited Hohai University, including Bastiaan van den Berg (Executive Director of International Affairs of Public Works and Water Management at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands), Klaas Groen (Deputy Executive Director of Knowledge and Innovation), Eric Spaans (Infrastructure and Water Management Counselor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the People’s Republic of China), and experts from Deltares. Zheng Jinhai, Vice President of Hohai University extended a warm welcome to the distinguished Dutch delegation.
Zheng emphasized the importance of the Netherlands as a significant partner for Hohai University in Europe. He highlighted the longstanding cooperation between Hohai University and higher education institutions such as Deltares, particularly the fruitful achievements in diverse areas such as talent development, technical exchange, and collaborative projects. Hohai University expressed its desire to collaborate closely with the Netherlands in mutually concerned areas and further enhance multi-level cooperation in the field of water resources, aiming to build a solid bridge for exchanges between China and the Netherlands.
Bastiaan van den Berg reviewed the fruitful cooperation between the two sides in recent years and acknowledged Hohai University’s strong research capabilities and the solid foundation of cooperation between the two sides. He highlighted the significant opportunities and vast potential for collaboration between China and the Netherlands in water resources and expressed his hope to work together with Hohai University so as to leverage each other’s strengths, continuously expand practical cooperation, and contribute to the mutual improvement of water management in both countries. Klaas Groen presented the innovation-driven and problem-oriented cooperation framework between the Ministry of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands. He expressed his desire to continue exploring the cooperation potential and sharing successful experiences with Hohai University under the memorandum of understanding on water resources cooperation between China and the Netherlands. Mr. Groen emphasized the importance of striving to elevate the collaboration between the two sides to new heights
During the symposium, the International Office of Hohai University delivered a detailed introduction to the cooperation history between the university and various universities and research institutions in the Netherlands. Experts from both sides engaged in extensive discussions and exchanges on the latest research findings and cooperative intentions such as dam strength and safety, pipelines, damages caused by pests like muskrats, ecological flow, climate adaptation, and capacity building.
The heads and teachers of relevant colleges and departments of the university attended the symposium and participated in the discussions and exchanges.
