Events

Diplomatic pouch: With Mike Peters

Spanish superchef Ferran Adria never seemed to stop cooking and eating on a whirlwind tour of Beijing last week. Spain's Ambassador to China Eugenio Bregolat accompanied him on a series of cooking demonstrations and Chinese food lunches and dinners, and the delegation visited all of the Spanish restaurants in the capital's trendy Nali Patio and chatted with the chefs there.

Denmark's Ambassador-at-Large for Trade and Investment with China, Ritt Bjerregaard, has been visiting Beijing and Shanghai on a weeklong tour that was to end on Sunday. Minister Counselor Sren Jacobsen welcomed her at an embassy reception in the capital, where she hopes to help Danish companies increase export opportunities.

After arriving in Beijing she met officials of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce before moving on to the embassy reception, which included around 100 CEOs from Danish companies in China and Danish media.

Her weekend in Shanghai was to include meetings with Danish companies such as Grundfos and Paustian, the Innovation Centre in Shanghai, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China and meetings with current and future Danish and Chinese business partners. Invest in Denmark has arranged meetings with the Chinese companies, Huawei and Shangtex, to promote investment in Denmark.

To mark World Photography Day on Aug 19 the British embassy in China's website has posted a Foreign Office film by award-winning Brazilian photojournalist Andre Camara. See Britain Through My Eyes features people "from home and abroad talking about their experiences of modern Britain in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London next year. See the film at ukinchina.fco.gov.uk/en/.

Swedes in the capital are training for the Beijing Marathon with a 10-week running camp. The "camp" consists of a running activity in Chaoyang Park every Sunday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The Swedish embassy invites runners at all levels, from beginner to experienced. The camp will consist of a joint warm-up, technique skills training, group running exercises and workshops.

Four years ago Norwegian artist Tone Leksb spent nine months in Kunming studying Chinese. This July she returned for a summer residency at TGC Nordica, where she is presenting a solo exhibition until Sept 3. In one main work Tone poses the question of what will happen to toys after they've been played with a couple of times.

Director Geoffrey Andrews of the Western Academy of Beijing and Norwegian members of the staff visited the Norwegian embassy in Beijing last week to show their condolences in the wake of the the July 22 massacre in which 77 people died. Andrews presented the embassy with a huge card signed by teachers and students.

Andrews said that the tragedy had made a deep impact and that the academy considered it important to let the students contribute somehow. The school has also been flying a Norwegian flag at half mast. Within the diverse student body at the school there are 20 Norwegian students, and several Norwegian staff members.

Embassy news can be sent to mike.peters.cd@gmail.com.