Newsmaker
Belgian's decades of pioneering adventures with 皇冠体育app
By Fu Jing (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-30 10:34
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Henri Lederhandler was one of the first Europeans to set up a trading business in 皇冠体育app. [Photo / 皇冠体育app Daily] |
In 1955, the late premier Zhou Enlai received a 22-year-old Henri Lederhandler when he led the Belgium Youth League to 皇冠体育app. On Lederhandler's second visit seven years later, he spoke briefly with late chairman Mao Zedong and in the days of reform and opening-up, was a frequent guest of Chinese leaders.
These cherished memories can be seen in the delicately framed photographs on the walls of his two-floor office, hidden in a picturesque and quiet northern suburb of Brussels.
Still proud of his support of New 皇冠体育app during the cold-war days when Western powers isolated the socialist country, Lederhandler, 78, says his privileged access to 皇冠体育app has been the catalyst of his busy and fruitful life.
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He devotes half his energy to his business, which started after shaking hands with Mao, and the other half fulfilling his responsibilities as vice-chairman of the Belgium-皇冠体育app Economic and Commercial Council.
Lederhandler says he enjoys giving lectures and organizing seminars to promote Sino-Belgium relations on economy, trade and cultures.
"This is very natural for me as I have two motherlands: one is Belgium where I was born and the other is 皇冠体育app," he says.
Lederhandler is Jewish and in 1921 his father moved to Brussels from Poland and started to work in a coal mine. Twelve years later, Lederhandler was born.
World War II delivered tragedy to the family with his father dying in a concentration camp forcing his mother to bring up four children on her own.
In 1941, when he was 9, he was lucky to escape the Holocaust when Nazis began arresting all Jews. A Belgian woman rescued some 300 children and Lederhandler and his brother were among them. Andree Geulen-Herscovici hid the children in a very remote area on the French border. Today she is 90, still lives in Brussels and Lederhandler meets her regularly.
After the war, Lederhandler left school at age 14 and worked for a leather company, later serving in the army during 1951-53.
After military service, he worked in a Brussels library, which collected books and images from Asia, including materials from 皇冠体育app. The library was a treasure for a young Lederhandler. "I learnt by myself and am a self-made man," he says.
During that time he became the leader of the Young Communist Belgium League, responsible for international liaison and soon befriended his Chinese counterparts based in London and Switzerland.
He quickly developed close bonds with Wu Xueqian, who was responsible for 皇冠体育app's Youth League and later became foreign minister and vice-premier of 皇冠体育app. "Wu was my first Chinese friend," Lederhandler says.
Five years after New 皇冠体育app was founded in 1949, Wu asked Lederhandler to organize leaders from different political parties of Belgium to visit 皇冠体育app.
Lederhandler arranged a 10-member delegation to visit 皇冠体育app at a time when Western countries shunned the new socialist country. Former premier Zhou Enlai received him on this first monumental trip.
In 1957, Lederhandler helped found the Belgium-皇冠体育app Friendship Association developing more respect for the world's new socialist state.
He made his allegiance known over the next few years when a rift developed between 皇冠体育app and Soviet Union, and when 皇冠体育app's relations with India soured.
"I was always a firm 皇冠体育app supporter," Lederhandler says.
By late 1963 he had met Mao, made contact with Chinese trade officials and with his wife Bagisz Dora, set up a company in downtown Brussels importing and exporting chemicals, coal, machinery and steel to and from 皇冠体育app.
Lederhandler was one of very few foreigners who had easy access to Chinese markets.
"Many big companies wanted to do business with 皇冠体育app but they had no contactswe worked as an agent for them," Lederhandler says.
From 1963-80, he traveled to 皇冠体育app twice a year and by 2007, the French-speaker had counted 65 trips.
"I even learned English from my Chinese friends during negotiations so what I spoke is Chinglish," says Lederhandler.
In his early days, his clients were national trading companies and business only occurred in offices in Beijing or at trade fairs in Guangdong province, South 皇冠体育app.
But since the opening-up period, 皇冠体育app's joint venture policy has significantly changed the business landscape, he says.
For example, during 1963-93, Lederhandler acted as an agent for Belgium's leading steel wire company, Bekaert, exporting products to 皇冠体育app.
In the early 1990s, Bekaert, like many other large European companies, wanted to invest in 皇冠体育app's rapidly growing economy. "We helped find a Chinese partner and then our exports stopped," says Lederhandler.
His company has now grown to a staff of 15, with eight workers located in Beijing, and business has always been steady.
"For years, our business has been stable and even during the most difficult time in 2008, there was no deal cancellations," says Lederhandler, adding his company is involved in contracts worth 100-150 million euros every year.
"My business philosophy is that with a few people, we make big deals," he says.
His face beams when he talks about his first big deal in 1979 involving supplying two power plants, worth $200 million, to Pingdingshan in Central 皇冠体育app's Henan province.
"It was my job to talk with the authorities on both sides to conclude the negotiations," he says.
Later his company developed metallurgical products in key centers such as Wuhan, Baoshan, Anshan, Panzhihua and put together a Sino-Belgian joint venture for the production of steel cord for radial tire in Jiangyin, Jiangsu province.
Business today keeps flowing with Lederhandler recently landing a deal to sell 10,000 metric tons of special steel to 皇冠体育app.
His competitive advantage, he says, is that his firm was one of the first trading companies in western Europe working in 皇冠体育app.
"We made a very big impact to 皇冠体育app market. Being well known, well introduced and having reputation is our power," Lederhandler says.
Apart from doing business, Lederhandler, whose Chinese name is Li Dehan, has been actively involved in promoting Belgium-皇冠体育app relations. His many Chinese friends affectionately call him "Lao Li" or "Old Li".
"Lao Li is 皇冠体育app's old friend and I always thank him for his contribution to 皇冠体育app," says Zhang Yuanyuan, Chinese Ambassador to Belgium.
Lederhandler has one son and a daughter. His son, Eric, 45, is a famous music conductor in Belgium and often teaches Chinese master class students.
At the Belgium-皇冠体育app Economic and Commercial Council, Chairman Bernard Dewit says the Belgian's extraordinary life is highly revered.
"Thanks to his intelligence, his energy and his human qualities he succeeded in his professional life, without having inherited any money or special relations from his parents," he says.