BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to further explore cooperation with the Netherlands in such areas as green development and innovation to achieve a higher level of mutual benefit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday.
Li made the remarks during a phone conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
Noting that China and the Netherlands have established an open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation for more than a decade, Li said that thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, bilateral relations and cooperation have continued to deepen, with openness and pragmatism remaining a defining feature, delivering tangible benefits to the two peoples.
Currently, the international situation is marked by growing instability, as unilateralism and protectionism are exerting a huge impact on the global economy, he said. Under such circumstances, it is even more important for the two countries to promote cooperation through openness and achieve win-win outcomes through pragmatism, Li noted.
Li voiced China's readiness to work with the Netherlands to consolidate political mutual trust, uphold mutual respect and dialogue based on equality, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, continuously inject new impetus into the common development of both countries, and contribute positively to world peace and prosperity.
China and the Netherlands are important economic and trade partners to each other, and enhanced cooperation serves the common interests of both sides, said Li.
He noted that as China implements its 15th Five-Year Plan, its economy is expected to reach a new level over the next five years, creating even more space to deepen economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
China is willing to strengthen coordination with the Netherlands at all levels and better leverage dialogue mechanisms to further explore potentials for cooperation in such areas as economy, trade and science and technology, said Li.
Noting that the Netherlands has long served as an important gateway for China-Europe cooperation and is a core member of the European Union (EU), Li voiced hope that the Dutch side will play an active role in encouraging the EU institutions to view China-Europe relations and cooperation in an objective and rational manner, and work with China to properly address differences and issues through dialogue and consultation, so as to promote the sound and steady development of China-EU relations.
For his part, Jetten said that China is an important trading partner of the Netherlands and that relations with China are among the Netherlands' most important bilateral ties.
The relations between the two countries have maintained strong momentum in recent years, said Jetten, noting that the new Dutch government attaches great importance to relations with China and is willing to intensify high-level exchanges with the Chinese side, promote mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, innovation and climate response, jointly address global challenges, and safeguard common interests.
Noting that next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of ambassadorial diplomatic relations between the two countries, Jetten said the Netherlands is willing to work with China to promote continuous new progress in the open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
The EU-China relationship is of vital importance, he said, noting the Netherlands stands ready to play an active role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between the two sides. ■
