Dr. Aalt Dijkhuizen, Chairman of the Executive Board of Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) has been made an honorary citizen of Fujian Province in China. The ceremony took place on Tuesday evening in Fuzhou, the capital of Fuijan. Dijkhuizen is the fourth foreign honorary citizen in the province's 60-year history.
Dijkhuizen was awarded the honorary citizenship for his efforts to strengthen ties with the Netherlands. In that connection, he was made personal adviser to the Governor of Fujian in 2004 and Wageningen UR was named preferred partner for research and education in the field of food & agri and environmental issues. Various projects in this field have already been set up, such as the reduction of pesticides in tea production, rendering the production of bamboo for clothing and other textile applications sustainable, the use of biomass for green energy and chemicals and the improvement of water quality and food safety. In view of these good contacts, Gelderland Province annually organises a mission to Fujian for interested companies. Wageningen municipality has become a cultural twin town of Zhangzhou, one of three large cities in the province. The expectation is that cooperation will expand further in the years to come.
Fujian lies in the South East of China, on the mainland opposite Taiwan, with which it maintains strong economic links. In terms of economic growth, the province has been among China's top performers for a number of years, and the port of Xiamen made it into the world's top ten for container movements in 2009. Xiamen lies in a so-called Special Economic Zone, as do Shanghai and Hong Kong. Fujian has 36 million inhabitants. The province is a major producer of fruit, vegetables and flowers.