| CHINA CAFE |
FOR ENGLISH PLEASE SCROLL The China Café has long been the meeting place where entrepreneurs, professionals and students meet to listen and engage in conversation with guest speakers who share their knowledge about China. The China Cafés are low-key, informal gatherings with an emphasis on business and open to all. They highlight China backgrounds in the most versatile way possible. Utrecht, March 25, 2024, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CHINA CAFE On China’s aging population: what are the prospects and what is being done about it? With guest speaker Henk Schulte Nordholt and Thijs de Blok SUBSCRIBE The impending demographic challenges facing China are likely to have economic, social, cultural, consumer and (geo)political implications. Projections, according to Statista, estimate that the population aged 60 and older will reach 40 percent by 2060. The phenomenon of a persistently low fertility rate coupled with a rapidly aging population can be seen in many countries around the world. Yet in the case of China, there are several causes and they are very likely to have extraordinary consequences. With a smaller labor force and lower productivity, how will these, for example, determine the country’s national income? Hi-tech innovations will become even more urgent in several market sectors to stay ahead of dwindling labor shortages. Which sectors will especially feel the crisis and what will the physical landscape look like when the population drops to 800 million by the end of this century? Do China’s decision makers have the strength and vision to come up with unprecedented solutions as well as stick to their international and domestic goals? Will China be able to strengthen its economy with a five percent growth target, while balancing the need to cope with various global pressures? And will declining numbers have a positive effect on the gender gap? In a society that has relied on Confucian values for millennia, with filial piety as one of its core values, can community care offer a way out now that China’s birth rate is at an all-time low? What measures are government agencies and companies taking to address the short- and long-term challenges facing Chinese seniors? Consider affordable and tailored health care and insurance for the elderly, prevention of age-related diseases, promoting self-reliance and resilience! According to the China Internet Network Information Center, Chinese seniors are becoming more digitally proficient and Internet users over 60 have increased from 30 million in 2016 to 153 million in 2022. So, it’s not all doom and gloom. And, what do Chinese seniors really want? In this China Café, we look at how a Dutch organization was able to introduce and implement its philosophy and business model to fit traditional Chinese views of providing personal care to seniors. Buurtzorg China(Neighbourhood Care) has now managed to roll out its concept of elder care in seven cities as of 2017, focusing heavily on disease prevention and the empowerment of seniors. How has Buurtzorg China emancipated its caregivers and nurses and organized community care around the elderly? Is there a business risk? Can its unique model be easily copied? During this China Café, our guest speakers will share with us their nuanced perspectives on different perspectives around this topic and perhaps some of their personal reflections. Language: English Interviewer: Lilian Kranenburg of the China Café Who is of interest? This China Café is of interest to anyone who wants to get a better idea about the Chinese business environment and economic outlook. Meet Dutch and Chinese colleagues and entrepreneurs for a drink at the bar and broaden your professional network! Cost: €12.50, VNC members €7.50 (code 25324), China Times readers €7.50 (code 25324CT) , students €5 (code 25324student) Address: Stadsbrasserie De Utrechter, Vredenburg 40, 3511 BD Utrecht Time: March 25, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. SUBSCRIBE The speakers: Henk Schulte Nordholt HENDRIK (HENK) SCHULTE NORDHOLT (Wassenaar, June 1, 1953) has been actively involved in China for more than forty years. After studying Sinology in Leiden, he went to work for the Ministry of Economic Affairs in The Hague in 1981. For four years there he was engaged in promoting economic relations between the Netherlands and the Far East, especially China. In 1985, Schulte Nordholt was appointed in Beijing as the first director of AMRO Bank in the then closed Middle Kingdom. He was mainly concerned with financing Dutch-Chinese trade. In 1990, he was transferred to Taiwan. That same year, ABN merged with AMRO and Schulte Nordholt decided to return to Beijing to start the Hofung trading company with two partners. Over the years, the company grew into a technology company with offices in Beijing and Tianjin. The technology sold to industrial customers in China enables customers to granulate fertilizer, desulfurize gas and generate electricity. After his business career, Schulte Nordholt devoted himself to writing and speaking about China. He wrote five books, including ‘Is China Still Stoppable? – How a virus is changing the world order’ is the most recent. His special expertise covers history, culture, economics and finance. Not as a scholar, but as someone who knows how to intertwine knowledge of those subjects with years of practical experience of doing business with the Chinese. Thijs de BlokThijsis director CEO of Buurtzorg International, the consulting and licensing provider, which represents the Dutch community care organization Buurtzorg Nederland worldwide.In 2014, Buurtzorg Neighborhood Care Asia was established with the goal of first adapting and then implementing the acclaimed Buurtzorg model of community-based, integrated elder care in selected Asian countries. In Asia, Neighborhood Care operates in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, India and China.China Neighborhood Care was established in Shanghai in 2017 and has now rolled out its operations in Changzhou, Qingdao, Ningbo, Weifang, Hangzhou and Chengdu.Thijs is a sought-after speaker on healthcare and organizational change. With Buurtzorg International, he is committed to helping other organizations do things the Buurtzorg way. He lived in South Korea and Japan for several years to promote and support Buurtzorg partners and projects in the region. Thijs currently lives in the Netherlands and France with his wife and two dogs, and enjoys cycling, cooking and traveling. SUBSCRIBE ENGLISH Utrecht, March 25, 2024, 17.00-19.00 CHINA CAFE about China’s greying population: what may happen and what is being done? With guest speakers Henk Schulte Nordholt and Thijs de Blok REGISTER HERE China’s greying population: what may happen and what is being done? China’s looming demographic challenges will most likely have economic, social, cultural, consumer and (geo)political implications. Projections, according to Statista, estimate that the population of over 60-year-olds will have reached 40 percent by 2060. A persistent low fertility rate coupled to a rapidly aging population is a phenomenon that can be seen in many countries across the world, yet China’s case presents different causes and is likely to display extraordinary outcomes. With a smaller labor force and reduced productivity, how will these numbers, for instance, shape the country’s national income? Hi-tech innovations will become even more urgent in different market sectors to stay ahead of dwindling labor shortages. Which sectors may particularly feel the crunch and what will the physical landscape look like when the population declines to 800 million by the end of the century? Do China’s decision makers have the fortitude and vision to come up with unprecedented solutions ánd stick to their international and domestic goals? Will China be able to strengthen its economy with a growth target of five percent whilst balancing all sorts of global pressures? And will the waning population numbers have a positive effect on the gender gap?In a society that, for millennia, has relied on Confucian values with filial piety as one of its core values, can community care offer a way out now that China’s birth rate is at an all-time low? What measures are taken by governmental bodies and businesses to address immediate and long-term challenges faced by China’s seniors, eg. affordable and tailored elderly healthcare and insurance schemes, the prevention of old-age diseases, the promotion of self-reliance and resilience? Indeed, according to the China Internet Network Information Center, Chinese seniors are becoming digitally savvy with internet users over 60 soaring from 30 million in 2016 to 153 million in 2022. So, it’s not all doom and gloom. What do China’s senior consumers want?And how has a Dutch organization been able to introduce and implement its philosophy and business model to fit China’s traditional beliefs of giving personal care to seniors? From 2017, Buurtzorg China has managed to roll out its concept of elderly healthcare in seven cities and focuses strongly on prevention of illnesses and the empowerment of seniors. How has it emancipated its caregivers and nurses and has it rallied community care around its elders? Is there a business risk – can its unique model be easy to duplicate? During this China Café our guest speakers will touch and dwell on various angles that will give their broad and nuanced views on China’s greying groundswell and perhaps share some of their personal reflections! Language: EnglishInteresting for whom?This China Café is of interest to anyone who wants to get a better idea of China’s business environment and economic prospects. Meet Dutch and Chinese peers and entrepreneurs for a drink at the bar and widen your professional network! Costs: €12,50, VNC members €7,50 (code 25324), China Times readers €7,50 (code 25324CT) , students €5,- (code 25324student) Address: Stadsbrasserie De Utrechter, Vredenburg 40, 3511 BD Utrecht Date: March 25, 17.00 – 19.00 hrs. REGISTER HERE |
