This is where our representatives here in Beijing come into play. Their task is to build networks, to share information and ideas, to explain the Bundesbank’s positions and to facilitate cooperation. For the past three years, Winfried Liedtke has served as the Bundesbank’s representative in Beijing. And judging from the distinguished crowd gathered here today, he has done an excellent job.
I would therefore like to thank him personally and in the name of the Bundesbank for his service. I would also like to take the opportunity to welcome our new representative, Thomas Notheis. For the past four years, Thomas Notheis has served as the Bundesbank’s representative in Mumbai, meaning that he is not new to either the world of economic diplomacy or to Asia.