This graduation marks the 9th such programme to have been completed – its continued popularity, in my view, clearly shows the inherent strengths of its offering, and the commitment of all its sponsoring organizations. Let me begin, however, by first acknowledging the success of tonight’s graduates.
At present, 52 banks from the EU have established branches and representative offices in China, including HSBC Holding, Standard Chartered Bank from the UK, Société Générale and Natexis Banque Populaires from France, Deutsche Bank, Bayerische Landesbank from Germany, Bank of Rome, UniCredito Italiano from Italy, ING Bank from Netherlands, KBC Bank N.V. and Fortis Bank S.A./N.V. from Belgium.