On November 26th 2014, Queen Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, who currently serves as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), visited Peking University (PKU) and delivered a speech at the PKU National School of Development (NSD). Ambassador of the Netherlands to China Aart Jacobi, UN Resident Coordinator to China Alain Noudéhou, Director of Office of the UNSGSA Paolo Galli, Regional Representative for East Asia Pacific from the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor Eric Duflos, and other guests were present as well. Yao Yang, Dean and Professor of NSD and Professor Justin Lin Yifu, Honorary Dean of NSD and former Director of the China Center for Economic Research met the guests.
Queen Máxima delivered a speech on the topic, “From ‘Flying Money’ to Digital Finance: Innovation and Development through Financial Inclusion in China”. She noted that there was a rich history of finance innovation in both China and the Netherlands. Both countries share a common goal to boost development, and have made great contributions to the economic and financial development around the world.
Queen Maxima also pointed out the speed and scale with which poverty and hunger have been reduced in China over the past decades. This has made it easier for families, entrepreneurs and young people to follow their dreams. However, there are still a lot of places that lack basic financial services. In addition, the focus of financial innovation could also turn more towards investment in education, retirement, and unforeseen risks.
Finally, Queen Máxima stated that the potential growth of financial services in China and around the world was enormous. She was impressed by the success that China has achieved, and was confident that China would be able to achieve even more in the future. Máxima hoped that China’s young people, who were responsible for shaping China’s future, would successfully deal with challenges and lead China to new heights.
After Queen Máxima’s speech, she fielded questions from the audience.
Written by: Zhang Rutian
Edited by: Chia Wai Kian
