Dutch PM sees fruitful results, broad prospects in cooperation with China

People select souvenirs at the China booth at the Embassy Festival in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Sept. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Lin Liping)

The Netherlands values the opportunities created for bilateral relations by the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the Netherlands and China, and is ready to celebrate with China this year of great significance, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

ROME, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Netherlands' cooperation with China has yielded fruitful results in various fields and enjoys broad prospects, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said here on Sunday.

The prime minister made the remarks when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative Wang Yi on the sidelines of Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders' Summit.

Rutte told Wang, also Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, that his country is ready to enhance exchanges at all levels with China and welcomes more investment from China.

The Netherlands values the opportunities created for bilateral relations by the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the Netherlands and China, and is ready to celebrate with China this year of great significance, he said.

The first China-Europe freight train bound for Tilburg from Nanjing, capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, arrives in Tilburg, the Netherlands, June 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

For his part, Wang said that as next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties, it is of important significance to build on the legacy and take it forward.

Regarding the Netherlands as a "gateway" for cooperation between China and the European Union (EU), China attaches great importance to its relations with the Netherlands, he said.

China stands ready to work with the Netherlands to sum up experiences, plan for the future and push for greater progress in bilateral ties so as to bring more benefits to the two countries and the two peoples, and inject new impetus into China-EU relations, he said.

The two sides should, Wang said, stick to mutual respect and mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, advance a high level of openness between the two countries, deepen cooperation in fields such as interconnectivity, digital economy and green growth, and work together to promote economic recovery in both countries and the world.

He also expressed hope that the Dutch side will provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies in the Netherlands.

Rutte said he looks forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics with great expectations. Wang briefed him on the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics, stressing that China has the confidence to present to the world a "streamlined, safe and splendid" Olympic Games.

Wang added that the Winter Olympics to be hosted in China will attract 300 million people to take part in ice and snow sports, which will give a strong boost to the popularization of global sports.

The state councilor said that China is willing to strengthen ice and snow sports cooperation with the Netherlands so as to add new dimensions to bilateral relations. He wished Dutch athletes great success in Beijing.

Yang Binyu (2nd L) of China, Sophie Kraaijeveld (1st R), Isabel Grevelt (2nd R), Leonie Bats of the Netherlands compete during the women's mass start competition at the Experience Beijing Speed Skating China Open in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 10, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

During the meeting, they also agreed to jointly push for the healthy and stable development of China-Europe relations, and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern including climate change.

Wang briefed on China's robust measures on energy conservation and emission reduction and their positive results.

Rutte spoke highly of China's announcement that it will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad, expressing willingness to work with China to promote global green and low-carbon development.