Presentation Nfia Chinese investment Netherlands

René H.F. Vacquier Senior Project Manager

Agenda

ABOUT THE NFIA In Short Foreign Offices Role and Tasks First Port of Call

LOCATION THE NETHERLANDS 6 Reasons to invest in the Netherlands

CHINESE INVESTMENTS IN THE NETHERLANDS Importance of Chinese investments for NL economy Role of NFIA Challenges for Chinese companies NFIA experiences in the field of visa, work permits and residence permits

About the NFIA

Established in 1978

Government agency, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs

Headquarters in The Hague

18 foreign representative offices in Europe, Asia and US

Total staff: 90

Services provided are: = free of charge = without commitment = on a confidential basis

IN SHORT

About the NFIA

The HagueLondonNew YorkBostonAtlantaChicagoSan MateoTokyoOsakaTaipeiSeoul Hong Kong Shanghai Guangzhou New Delhi Singapore Kuala Lumpur Dubai

FOREIGN OFFICES

ROLE AND TASKS

About the NFIA

The government authority for promoting and assisting foreign investments in the Netherlands

Coordination of acquisition activities by regional authorities

Report on relative changes regarding the investment climate in the Netherlands

Technological partner search in the Netherlands

FIRST PORT OF CALL

About the NFIA

Besides a wealth of information, we can introduce you to a variety of Dutch (governmental) networks and service suppliers of relevance to the investment process in order to speed up your project implementation:

= National, Regional and Local Authorities and Organizations = Port Authorities = Logistic Service Providers = Dutch Customs = Work Permit Authorities = Immigration Office = Legal & Tax Advisors = Recruitment Agencies = Real Estate Brokers = R&D Partners = Current Foreign Investors

Introduction to the Dutch networks

FIRST PORT OF CALL

• If you opt to outsource logistics, we can identify potential suitable logistics service providers (LSP’s) in the Netherlands.

• Introductions to a shortlist of logistic service providers and assistance with the request for quotation process.

• Value added service of Dutch LSP’s include: = warehousing = pick & pack = re-labeling = testing & quality control = product assembly & repairs = stock planning = order entry = invoicing = fiscal representation = tracking & tracing

About the NFIA

Logistics Service Providers, suited to your needs

FIRST PORT OF CALL

Assistance for foreign technology companies seeking European partners and a supportive business environment

Technology partners in the sectors like ICT, Life Sciences, Nanotechnology, Polymers, and Water Treatment

Established companies, universities, research institutes and start-ups

For collaborations in R&D programs, joint venture agreements, manufacturing agreements, license agreements

Please note that matchmaking services are not applicable to fully developed product offerings, European customer base development, import/export initiatives or marketing research/support.

About the NFIA

R&D partners - Technology Matchmaking

FIRST PORT OF CALL

Learn from the experiences of foreign investors, who have already chosen the Netherlands as their European base, on: = Starting-up = Recruitment = Legal structures = Business processes = Dutch business culture

Match with companies in a relevant sector, with similar activities or in your targeted region

About the NFIA

Current foreign investors - testimonial visits

6 REASONS TO INVEST IN THE NETHERLANDS

Location the Netherlands

Strategic Location in Europe

International Business environment

Superior Logistics & Technological Infrastructure

Highly Educated, Flexible and Multilingual Workforce

Quality of Life

Fiscal Climate

The Netherlands - the Gateway to Europe

Geographically small

Strategic, central location - 170 million consumers (half of the EU) within a 500 km radius.

Capital: Amsterdam Currency: Euro (€) North-South 350 km West-East 200 km

Amsterdam•Rotterdam


Densely populated -16.4 million people - 394,3/km²


Strategic location in Europe (1)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Netherlands.png


Liège• Cologne• Brussels•

Amsterdam• Rotterdam• London•

Paris•

Noord-BrabantNoord-Brabant


Strategic location in Europe (2)

The Netherlands is the logistics gateway to Europe, positioned in the center of the main logistics activity in Western Europe

Economic activity along corridors from European main ports to the hinterland

Close to the main integrator hubs: = Brussels (DHL) = Liege (TNT) = Cologne (UPS)

Fast and efficient access to European markets


The Netherlands, long Europe's trading crossroads, is an excellent location for pan-European operations.

An international outlook and openness to foreign investment is firmly engrained in the Dutch culture.

The Netherlands scores high on the international rankings as location to do business.

These cover a.o.: = political and macro-economical environment = policies towards free enterprise = foreign investment = foreign trade & exchange controls = taxes, financing, labor market and infrastructure


International Business Environment (1)



International Business Environment (2)

Flexible customs and favorable taxation:

Cooperative customs authorities

Computerized clearance and inspection systems

Electronic import and export declarations

VAT deferment at time of import = no impact on your cash flow

Corporate tax rate: 25.5%

A wide international tax treaty network

Advance tax rulings for effective tax planning

No withholding tax on outgoing interest payments, royalties or management fees

Participation exemption

Tax ‘discount’ for expatriate employees



Superior logistics infrastructure

Dominated by main ports: = By Air: Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf and Eindhoven = By Sea: Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Moerdijk a.o.

The Netherlands has = A vast and dense national network of road connections to all other European countries. = A dense national rail network with high speed train connections to Belgium, Germany, France and UK = Multimodal logistic networks for distribution by road, rail, short-sea and barge link directly to many European countries.



Superior technological infrastructure

The Netherlands has a state-of-the-art, 100% digital, advanced fiber-optic network, and the largest bandwidth on the European continent

Home to one of Europe’s largest internet hub, Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX)

The Netherlands ranks among top EU nations for the speed, quality and reliability of its telecommunications

Low telecom charge rates



Highly educated, flexible and multilingual workforce (1)

The Dutch workforce is a key strength of its world-renowned logistics capabilities.

Dutch workers are known for their flexibility, they are also recognized throughout Europe for their motivation and productivity.

Dutch professionals are among the most multilingual in the world, enabling them to successfully operate in companies across any industry serving customers throughout the continent.



Highly educated, flexible and multilingual workforce (2)

Flexible contracts and average wages Wages and benefits are reasonable in the Netherlands and productivity is very high

Regulatory framework offers flexibility: = Flexible contracts permit you to manage workload changes more easily, and respond faster to peak shipping situations. = Temporary contracts are the norm; temporary workers may be hired for up to one year, or longer. = Option of participating in labor pools with other companies, sharing the same skilled employees, as demand requires.

Unlimited term contracts

Fixed term contracts

Part-time/Full-time contracts

Flexible contracts

FreelanceContracts

Builds upon good relationship, creates employee loyalty. Most difficult to terminate.

Good place to start max. 3x 1 year

31.3 % of total employment is part time.

Three types of most common contracts: • Stand-by• Zero hours• Min-Max

=>11% of labor force

Labor contracts pyramid



Quality of Life

Historically, the Netherlands has always been open to other cultures; this, in addition to its international orientation, means foreign businesses of many types integrate easily here

Cooperation, multiple points of view and tolerance are cultural values

The cost of housing, education, cultural activities as well as food and consumer goods are lower than in many other European nations

Chinese investments in the Netherlands

IMPORTANCE OF CHINESE INVESTMENTS FOR NL ECONOMY Trade Logistics - Netherlands as hub/Gateway to the large Europe market Joint Ventures Sales & Marketing EHQ Production?


ROLE OF NFIA 3 NFIA Offices: Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong Within the NL Consulate-General Chinese local staff Assistance with visa application Customer specific, tailor made FFT program Assistance with work permit, MVV and residence permit “Bekendheidverklaring” for Kennismigranten


CHALLENGES FOR CHINESE COMPANIES Try to understand cultural difference China - Europe Take enough time to prepare application File complete - incl. all needed documents - “immigration” applications Due to language barrier have assistance from professional NL consultants


NFIA EXPERIENCES RE. OF VISA, WORK PERMITS AND RESIDENCE PERMITS

“NFIA investors” seldom faced with problems. visa “fast lane” for businessmen Kennismigranten regeling Students versus Kennismigranten Policy/rules for Chinese people are the same compared to other nationals Introduction of so-called expat-desks on local level will contribute to improvement of service level Hospitality desk City of The Hague, including Chinese speaking staff

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

René H.F. Vacquier Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency

Bezuidenhoutseweg 16a, 2594 AV Den Haag Phone: +31-70-3798818

E-mail: [email protected]