Danish Business Benefiting from Active Participation in Expo 2010. Interview with Jens Eskelund, Director, Maersk China Ltd.

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‘We are a company with a Danish heritage, but our history and development is closely connected with the city of Shanghai,’ Jens Eskelund says. ‘The first time an A.P. Moller – Maersk vessel called at Shanghai was in 1924, and in 1928 the company established its first regular global liner shipping service – between Shanghai and North America. Today, A.P. Moller–Maersk has a broad range of activities in Shanghai, spanning from liner shipping, logistics, container terminals and procurement to intermodal transportation. So while we have a Danish heritage, our relationship with the City of Shanghai goes back a long time, and our involvement with the city is deep. We are very pleased to have this opportunity to be a part of bringing the two together,’ Jens Eskelund says.

‘We are sure that EXPO 2010 will be unique and quite unlike any previous World Exposition. There is a very high degree of popular support for the Expo in Shanghai and China in general, and a thoroughgoing effort is being made to make this a special event for the more than 70 million guests the organisers expect to show up for the occasion.’ Jens Eskelund adds that ‘in a more long term perspective there is no doubt that the city will benefit from hosting the Expo. Impressive investments have been made in the infrastructure, including public transport; the city has received an overall facelift which will be of great benefit to the whole city after the Expo. The theme ‘Better City, Better Life’ has a high focus on sustainability and life quality issues. This is bound to have a long-term positive effect for local citizens.’

‘Certain aspects of Danish society are attractive to many Chinese, as the Danish model appears to provide some inspiration and suggestions as to how China may address some of the pressing issues confronting the country today. From a Danish perspective, the sustainability focus is well chosen, so Denmark’s participation makes a lot of sense,’ Jens Eskelund states.

In addition to the participation in a number of official events related to the pavilion, National Partners are also allowed to make use of the pavilion for a number of days. Jens Eskelund explains how A.P. Moller–Maersk intends to use the facilities: ‘The pavilion will provide us with a unique setting to engage many of our stakeholders in positive ways. We will, of course, invite our customers to see the pavilion and sample a bit of Danish cuisine. We also intend to use the facilities to meet with business and joint venture partners. And, not least, while we are an international company, our roots are Danish. So being there provides us with a great opportunity to share with our employees and their families who we are and where we come from. We are very much looking forward to the Expo, and we are sure it will be a great event,’ Jens Eskelund concludes.