On the afternoon of the 25th, Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a telephone conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Rutte, expressing the hope that the Netherlands will play an active role in encouraging EU institutions to view China-EU relations and cooperation objectively and rationally, and join China in resolving differences and issues through dialogue and consultation, thus promoting the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations.
Li Qiang stated that the current international situation is growing increasingly turbulent, with unilateralism and protectionism creating a huge impact on the global economy. China is willing to work with the Netherlands to consolidate political mutual trust, uphold mutual respect and equal dialogue, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and continuously inject new momentum for the co-development of both countries, thereby adding positive energy to world peace and prosperity. With the implementation of China’s “15th Five-Year Plan”, China’s economic output will reach new heights in the next five years, bringing even greater opportunities for deepening China-Netherlands economic and trade cooperation. China stands ready to strengthen coordination with the Netherlands at all levels, better leverage the roles of dialogue mechanisms in economy, trade, and science and technology, further tap cooperation potential in green and innovative fields, and achieve higher-level mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
Rutte noted that China is an important trading partner for the Netherlands, and China-Netherlands relations are among the most important bilateral relationships for the Netherlands. The new Dutch government attaches great importance to relations with China and is willing to engage in close high-level exchanges with China, promote mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, innovation, and response to climate change, jointly tackle global challenges, and safeguard shared interests.
Next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations between China and the Netherlands. The Dutch side is willing to work with China to advance the open and pragmatic comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and the Netherlands for new progress. China-EU relations are of critical importance, and the Netherlands is ready to play an active role in promoting EU-China dialogue and cooperation.