News in Digest: An all-out Asian sensation

Denmark never stops sending out delegations – this time to South Korea, Vietnam and Lebanon

Zach Tan

Never one to turn down a chance to improve bilateral relations, Denmark has been thriving of late in Asia, where there has been good news in a number of different countries, including Iran, South Korea, Singapore and Lebanon.

Lars is a Seoul man
Danish PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen visited South Korea as part of a business delegation from October 23-25 in an effort to develop strategic partnerships between the two nations – focusing particularly on energy, food and health.

Rasmussen was joined by representatives from Danish universities, business organisations and companies, and also Copenhagen Mayor Frank Jensen.

“There is a lot of interest in the Danish society model in South Korea,” he said. “We can export Danish solutions and also benefit by attracting knowledge to Denmark from areas in which the South Koreans are leaders.”

Thriving in Tehran
Danny Annan, the Danish ambassador to Iran, has revealed that Danish exports to the western Asian country jumped 66 percent in the 17 months ending 31 May 2016 – which was in line with expectations following last year’s lifting of US and EU sanctions.

Some 54 percent of the exports are pharmaceuticals. Novo Nordisk is investing $80 million to build a factory in Iran, and there are high hopes for the future – particularly in the areas of water tech and food production.

However, hurdles remain. Denmark does not buy Iran’s biggest commodity: oil. And banking relations between the two countries are far from perfect yet.

Singaporean sizzler
a delegation from Singapore recently visited the Technical University of Denmark to cement a co-op deal and learn how Denmark uses sustainable and energy-efficient building design. Both countries want to establish themselves as leaders within smart city solutions.

The delegation was particularly interested in gaining an insight into Danish expertise in integrating water, waste and energy production into intelligent buildings and infrastructure.

Bringing it to Beirut
Frank Jensen has had a busy month. As well as his trip to Seoul, he joined a Copenhagen business delegation visiting Beirut.

The Danish capital will provide its Lebanese counterpart with experience and knowledge in establishing sustainable green solutions.

The delegation has arranged for Danish experts to present workshops regarding waste management, anti-radicalisation and city planning.

Happy times in Hanoi
Not to be outdone, the perennial globetrotter and foreign minister Kristian Jensen, the foreign minister, recently visited Vietnam to promote Danish business.

About 130 Danish companies are active in Vietnam. Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Denmark has increased significantly since 2011 and interest among Danish companies continues to increase.

Chinese crackerjack
Finally, the Danish brewery Bryggeriet Vestfyen looks to have a bright future as it has this week landed a monumental one-year deal with the Chinese state-owned food processing holding company COFCO.

The agreement will see its Vestfyen, Støckel and Willemoes beers become available in 20,000 shops in China.

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