My first week of research in Beijing and my personal experiences in this period
Here is an update again from a warm and sunny Beijing. This week, my field research activities commenced. During my leisure time, I met some old friends and fellow students who are studying in Beijing at the moment.
My first investigation took place at the Dutch Embassy in Beijing. There, I had talks with the Mr. de Haas and Ms. Zhao (Transport department) concerning the new Chinese market approach for the Dutch maritime sector. During the meeting, I presented the opinions and remarks of the Dutch firms on this market approach. After that , Mr. de Haas en Ms. Zhao provided me with useful information regarding the responsibilities and activities of the Chinese parties involved in the development of safety and environmental protection in Chinese waters.
The next day, I had another meeting at the WTI. In this meeting, I spoke with the Deputy Director of the WTI; Mr. Fei. Also Mr. Deng and my former boss, Mr. Lu attended the meeting. The meeting consisted of two topics; First, the introduction of the participating Dutch firms and their activities, to see which products/services could contribute to sustainable development in the Chinese waters. Second, Mr. Fei provided me with information on the macro-scale developments in the Chinese maritime and IWT sector.
On both topics, the three managers of the WTI provided me with valuable information. It became clear that there are export opportunities for Dutch firms in several segments of the Chinese maritime and IWT sector, such as oil spill management, real time monitoring and education. In many cases, the Chinese government actively promotes international cooperation, which is beneficial for foreign parties like the Dutch firms.
Besides working in Beijing, I visited an old friend in Beijing, and I met with a fellow student who is in the third year of her major. Therefore, she is studying in Beijing, like I did last year. Because of my earlier experiences, it was good to hear what her view is on life in Beijing.
For me personally, I am already used again to the life in Beijing. When I just arrived, it felt a little bit strange to be back in the place I lived for year not long ago. However, after a few days I was already used to the daily life in Beijing.
Daily life here means eating delicious dishes for the price of a Dutch bottle of water and getting randomly greeted on the street by interested Chinese people. Daily life in Beijing also consists of wading through huge crowds of people and remembering yourself to never take a taxi during rush hour; walking is almost faster. I am happy to once again experience the different culture and habits in this huge country.
