Premier Li Keqiang meets Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Beijing on June 27. (Photo/gov.cn)
Premier Li Keqiang says cooperation between nations offers strong benefits
Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday that China is willing to strengthen the synergy of development strategies and promote the two-way opening up with the Netherlands.
Li made the remarks while meeting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is making his fourth visit to China since taking office.
China would like to work with the Netherlands to create a fair, transparent and nondiscriminatory environment for enterprises from both countries and promote the sustainable growth of the global economy, Li said.
The Netherlands was one of the first Western countries to recognize the People's Republic of China, Li said, adding that relations between the nations have developed vigorously and cooperation has deepened in recent years.
China is willing to enhance exchanges with the Netherlands, consolidate political mutual trust, tap the potential of cooperation and push relations to a new level, he said.
As the Netherlands is China's second-largest trade partner in the European Union, he said that cooperation offers broad prospects.
Last year, the value of goods traded between the countries reached a record 584 billion yuan ($85 billion), Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands Xu Hong said in an earlier interview.
Li called on the countries to advance cooperation in key areas including trade, investment, innovation, clean energy, agriculture and the third-party market to achieve mutual benefits.
Li also stressed that China attaches great importance to developing relations with the EU and firmly supports the process of European integration.
China would like to work with the EU to accelerate the negotiation of an investment agreement, reach the Agreement on Geographical Indications as scheduled and deepen cooperation in various fields, he said.
The two sides should jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, promote inclusive development and maintain peace and stability, he added.
Rutte said that as the international economy and trade face downward pressure, the Netherlands will strengthen cooperation with China and jointly safeguard the international order.
The Netherlands will also actively promote the development of EU-China relations, he added.
Last month, the Dutch government published a policy document entitled 'The Netherlands and China: A New Balance'. During Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok's visit to China last week, he said that the guidelines in that document offer an excellent basis for cooperation between China and the Netherlands in areas where it serves their mutual interests.
