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Launch of New Platform for Chinese Students in Apeldoorn - with a Little Help from Chinese Embassy

Led by Chinese students from Wittenborg University, the Apeldoorn branch of the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars in the Netherlands (ACSSNL) was successfully launched last week. ACSSNL is the largest volunteer organization representing Chinese students and scholars in the Netherlands.

The initiative is funded by the Chinese embassy in the Netherlands. The launch brings the number of ACSSNL-branches in the Netherlands to 18, spread all over in the country’s big cities like Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Nijmegen, Groningen and Wageningen.

The chair of the Apeldoorn branch is Wittenborg student Muyiang Liao who is doing an IBA in Financial Services Management and is in the second phase of his studies. Liao said the organization will provide a platform for students to meet and exchange information and also for the embassy to communicate certain information to students such as job opportunities and provide support to the Chinese student community in the Netherlands. Liao first came to Holland in 2009 for studies, then went back to China to work for electric power equipment and technology company CSEPDI before returning to complete his Bachelor at Wittenborg.

The Apeldoorn launch was attended by councilor Johan Kruithof from the Gemeente Apeldoorn and member of Wittenborg’s Executive Board, Maggie Feng. The event was also attended by almost 30 Chinese students, mostly from Wittenborg but also from Saxion University of Applied Science and HAN (Hogeschool Arnhem en Nijmegen).

Feng said the embassy plays a big role in facilitating trade between China and the Netherlands and in identifying suitable places for Chinese companies to set up shop. “This is a great opportunity for Apeldoorn to profile itself.”

Kruithof said Apeldoorn is open to international talent and business. The city is well situated in the centre of the Netherlands, with a strong economy, many business and employment opportunities and, as the green heart of Holland, just about zero smog! His advice to Chinese students is to learn as much Dutch as possible and network with businesses in the region.

ACSSNL’s aim, as stated on its website, is to “constantly improve the Chinese students' experiences in the Netherlands, representing the Chinese student voice effectively to the Dutch society and beyond, supporting student academic and social wellbeing, and providing opportunities for integration of Chinese students in the local Dutch society”.

WUP 20/11/2015

by Anesca Smith

©WUAS Press