TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Dutch representative to Taiwan, Guy Wittich, was on Thursday (July 24) awarded the Economic Professional Medal by Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) during a ceremony recognizing his promotion of bilateral trade and investment between the Netherlands and Taiwan.
Wang praised Wittich, who will soon return to the Netherlands, for being the best spokesperson for Taiwanese-Dutch relations and enthusiastically promoting economic and trade exchanges between the two countries, Liberty Times reported.
Wittich said the achievements had only been possible with the help of many colleagues, which he thanked one by one. He also acknowledged the outstanding performance of his office staff, stating, "This honor belongs to everyone."
The Dutch representative has worked with the MOEA to accomplish many projects in areas such as offshore wind energy and water management.
Wittich also stated the Netherlands has been the biggest foreign investor in Taiwan, investing more than US$35.48 billion from 1952 until June of this year. The Netherlands is also the most important European destination of investment for Taiwanese companies, the Netherlands Office Taipei posted on Facebook.
In the future, both sides can strengthen cooperation on water conservation, agricultural technology, and technological research, Wittich suggested. The Dutch representative said that he will start to miss Taiwan as soon as he arrives in the Netherlands: "Taiwan is my home, and I will definitely come back to visit old friends regularly!"
Representatives from Taiwan’s Cabinet, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MOEA, the Water Resources Agency, and the Bureau of Energy attended the award ceremony, along with AIT Director Brent Christensen, Australian representative Gary Cowan, British representative Catherine Nettleton, and many other envoys. Nearly 30 representatives of Taiwanese and Dutch companies — including ASML, Royal DSM, Formosa Plastics, and Giant — were also present at the event.
Netherlands Office Taipei Facebook post
