On January 29, the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands held a reception to mark the assumption of duty of Ambassador Shen Bo and celebrate the 2026 Chinese New Year. Nearly 500 guests attended the event, including H.E. Mr. Robert Tieman, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, Ambassador Fernando Arias, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, friends from various sectors, members of the diplomatic corps in the Netherlands, heads of international organizations, as well as representatives of Chinese institutions, Chinese students, and overseas Chinese communities in the Netherlands.

Ambassador Shen extended Spring Festival greetings to the guests and expressed his appreciation for the long-standing attention and support from various sectors of the Netherlands for the development of China-Netherlands relations. Ambassador Shen stated that this year marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and emphasized that China will continue to advance high-level opening-up. He expressed the willingness to work together with the Netherlands side to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and to promote the steady and sustained development of the open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation between China and the Netherlands.

Minister Tieman welcomed Ambassador Shen on his assumption of office, spoke positively of the development of bilateral relations, and expressed the willingness to further deepen exchanges and cooperation between the Netherlands and China across various fields.

The reception was held in a warm, friendly, and harmonious festive atmosphere.