On 4 April the Belgian ambassador Bernard Pierre graciously received the delegation of over 30 students. They were touring China (Shanghai, Xian, Beijing) to explore the country, visit some factories and meet some business people. The same week, three different student delegations were in Beijing, two from Belgium and one from Holland. I don’t agree anymore to make presentations and organize sightseeing trips free of charge. It all demands lots of preparation work and takes too much of my time. I do agree to meet them for a chat as it was the case that day.

Our Belgian (and Dutch) universities are still way behind USA, UK and some other countries (e.g. Denmark) in organizing professional study tours. They claim lack of money, probably true but it exactly demonstrates their weakness. Compare that to the recent visit of Imperial College of London (see earlier entry): a very intensive tour with many high-level speakers, the use of good hotels and facilities, printed material with all details on the trip (bio of the speakers, program, etc.). And yes, they pay speakers like me. The whole study tour is professionally organized, mostly through specialized service companies.
Way to go for us in the Benelux.
At least they are starting to come to China – a step in the right direction.