Premier Li meets with Dutch PM

2018-04-12
english.gov.cn

Premier Li Keqiang held a meeting in Beijing on April 12 with visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who attended the annual conference of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and is on an official visit to China.

Premier Li said that the Netherlands is an important partner for China in the European Union. Since the state visit of President Xi Jinping to the Netherlands in 2014, the two countries have established a comprehensive partnership of cooperation. A few days ago, President Xi and Rutte had another meeting at BFA.

China is willing to enhance high-level exchanges with the Netherlands, and expand cooperation in an all-around way, to make greater progress in bilateral relationship and cooperation, Premier Li said.

He called on the two countries to tap the complementary advantages, deepen cooperation in fields such as agriculture, financing, technology and people-to-people exchanges, and jointly combat climate change for more win-win results.

China hopes to increase imports of high-quality agricultural and high-tech products from the Netherlands, said the Premier, who welcomed Dutch enterprises to invest in China, and hoped the country will participate in cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative by taking advantage of its location.

In view of the uncertainty and instability of the international political and economic situations, China is looking forward to a more united EU, and is willing to work with the Netherlands and EU to safeguard the multilateral trading system with WTO at the core, support multilateralism and free trade, and to promote development of economic globalization in a more open, inclusive, and balanced way that brings benefits to all, Premier Li said.

He also expressed his hope that the Netherlands will play a role as the bridgehead in China-EU trade cooperation, advance China-EU investment agreement negotiation, and push forward balanced China-EU trade relations.

China will open its door wider than ever before, said the Premier, who hopes for more openness among China, the Netherlands, and the EU as well as the world at large, for more available win-win results.

Rutte said China-Dutch relations have maintained high-level development. He said the Netherlands hopes the two sides will enhance strategic communications and dialogue and pragmatic cooperation, to lift the bilateral ties and China-EU ties to a higher level.

The Netherlands firmly supports free trade, and is willing to work with China to resist protectionism, and safeguard the multilateral trading system with WTO at the core, he said.

He added that his country hopes to improve coordination between the development strategies, support early negotiation for China-EU investment agreement, and make joint efforts to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The two leaders also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also attended the meeting.