Foreword I was already irrevocably committed to promoting friendly relations between China and the Netherlands when I began my diplomatic career at the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands in 1982. As our reform and opening-up policy intensified over the past three decades, I have witnessed the rapid, healthy development of our bilateral relations, in which Sino-Dutch cooperation on science and technology has played a unique and irreplaceable role. Our cooperation on science and technology is based on complementary needs, innovativeness and mutual trust. The fifteen-year Sino-Dutch Programme Strategic Scientific Alliances was the first strategic long-term scientific cooperation programme between China and a developed country. Because of this and other joint programmes, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, KNAW and NWO, and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences etc. have produced valuable results and established excellent reputations. In this publication, sixteen Dutch and Chinese scientists share their memories of this exciting cooperation. Their vivid stories are moving and encouraging, and their knowledge and insights are inspiring and meaningful. After reading this booklet, I am sure that more and more scientists will be inspired to engage in Sino-Dutch cooperation on science and technology and to build an even brighter future for our bilateral relations. Zhang Jinxiong Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Netherlands
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