New Faces at the Consulate General of Belgium in Shanghai
This summer, we bid farewell to our esteemed Consul General, Mr. Bruno Jans and Consul for Consular and Administrative Affairs Ms. Benedicte Vandorpe. Bruno served as the Consul General at the Consulate General of Belgium in Shanghai from 2020 to 2024. During his tenure, he oversaw significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing trade tensions between China, the US, and the EU. Despite these obstacles, there were also many positive highlights. In 2021, China and Belgium celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations, and following the easing of China’s zero-COVID policy, numerous academic and economic exchanges rebounded, further strengthening the ties between Belgium and China.
In August of this year, we were pleased to welcome our new Consul General, Mr. Pascal Buffin, along with the new Consul for Consular and Administrative Affairs, Ms. Andrée Kerremans, to Shanghai. Recently, the Chamber had the pleasure of meeting both Pascal and Andrée to get to know them better. Once again, we warmly welcome Mr. Pascal Buffin and Ms. Andrée Kerremans and wish them both a successful and fulfilling tenure in Shanghai over the coming years.
Mr. Buffin, what are your main goals and priorities during your tenure as the Consul General of Belgium in Shanghai?
“As you surely know, the Consulate General enjoys magnificent premisses and garden in the centre of the city. The location is perfect. I want to capitalize on this asset, rendering it to the advantage of our Belgian community and their partners in China. Promoting the exchange between investors, consumers, importers, exporters, entrepreneurs, academics, artists from Belgium and China will be a major focus of my tenure here in Shanghai.
Shanghai is a vibrant city, an important harbour for the international trade. In that sense, being the gateway to the European market, Belgium has a lot to offer to the city of Shanghai and the provinces around for the benefit of the Belgian economy as well as the local economy here and beyond in China. I would like to recall that Antwerp and Shanghai are twin cities. No wonder! Antwerp-Bruges harbour is one of the biggest ports in Europe as well as an open door to a hive of creativity in fashion, design, technology, and quality products, like food, in Belgium, be it in Flanders, Brussels, or Wallonia.
Of course, delivering a speedy and efficient consular experience to our Belgian nationals, their relatives and our Chinese partners will remain a top priority. All in all, the Consulate of Belgium in Shanghai is THE Belgian Home in town.”
Given you’ve mentioned your previous post as Ambassador of Belgium to the United Nations, how has this experience prepared you for this role, and what key lessons do you bring with you to Shanghai?
“My tenure as deputy Ambassador of Belgium to the United Nations in New York taught me more than ever how valuable mutual respect, understanding and a sense of compromise are. Belgians are known to excel in finding compromises. Located at the crossroad of the two main cultural streams in Europe -Latin and Germanic-, on one of the most disputed grounds on the continent and having a multicultural population (we have 3 official languages), Belgium has unique deal making skills. The sense of compromise is deeply rooted in its DNA.
My work as Director of EU Affairs (Economic and Social Affairs as well as Trade) allowed me to gain a useful overview of Europe’s economy, which proves to be useful in China.
However, it is my 25-year professional experience that every new assignment is a completely new job. I am therefore thrilled to submerge myself in Chinese/Shanghainese life, economy, and culture, to the benefit of our bilateral relations.”
Finally, how do you plan to strengthen the relationship between Belgium and Shanghai, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, and cultural exchange?
“Let’s not forget that our entrepreneurs, our artists, sports people, scientists, etc… are our country’s true diplomats. They are the ones who make the bilateral relations between Belgium and China a reality. In this sense, it is one of my priorities to enhance their visibility in China and facilitate contacts with Chinese partners. More concretely, I see different ways to strengthen the relationship between China and Belgium:
- By rendering support to our regional Trade Officers where needed and supporting our companies when they call upon our help in their activities in the local market and facilitate their dealings with local authorities.
- By mapping out activities of Belgian cultural representatives and artists, in cooperation with our other diplomatic posts on the mainland, streamlining support and seeking to expose them to as many potential Chinese synergies as possible.
- By providing support to incoming delegations, on national and on local level, with the constant aim of fostering ties between Belgium, Shanghai, and surrounding provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
- By enhancing people-to-people contacts and overseeing efficient and smooth consular services to the Belgian nationals and our Chinese partners.
Finally, I look forward to substantially increasing academic exchanges in particular."
Welcome Andrée! What role do you see the Consulate playing in promoting Belgian culture and heritage within Shanghai's diverse cultural landscape?
“The Consulate General already plays an important and active role in promoting Belgian cultures and heritage in Shanghai’s cultural landscape, and I can only do my best in participating to keeping this significant and historic part alive.”
How do you envision fostering a deeper connection between the Belgian community in Shanghai and local cultural traditions?
"My greatest commitment on a professional level to the Belgian community has always been to provide the best possible consular and administrative service, in their preferred national language. We provide a whole range of assistance to our Belgian community, from repatriation to passport and eID delivery, notarial services and resolving nationality and civil status matters.
On the other hand, the Consulate General in Shanghai has a tradition in organising and/or participating in several local cultural events, to which the local Belgian community is invited. So, despite not being a Cultural Attaché, I will continue to encourage broadening the existing deep cultural connection between Belgium and China."
We would also like to take the time to thank our Consul for Economic and Political Affairs Mr. Frédéric Van Kerrebroeck, who has been in Shanghai since 2021 and has been a strong supporter of the Belgian community!
For more information on the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Belgium, we suggest you to visit their website:
https://china.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-consulates/consulate-general-shanghai.
