Premier Li Keqiang met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on June 27 in Beijing.

As a country fed by the sea, the Netherlands’ development depends largely on trade with a tradition of opening-up, and it was one of the earliest Western countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China, the Premier said.

In recent years, the Sino-Dutch relationship has strengthened, and China is willing to enhance exchanges with the Netherlands at all levels, consolidate mutual trust and tap into cooperation potential to elevate the bilateral ties to new heights, said the Premier.

He said that China’s second-largest trade partner in the European Union is the Netherlands, and that the relationship between the two countries holds great potential.

At present, Premier Li said the world is facing unstable factors, but China is willing to align its development strategy with that of the Netherlands, expand two-way opening-up, and create a transparent and equal business climate for enterprises from both sides.

Cooperation in key areas should be given more attention to achieve greater win-win results, such as in trade, investment, innovation, clean energy, agriculture, and the third-party market, the Premier said.

Premier Li stressed that China highly values its relationship with the EU, firmly supports EU integration, and hopes to accelerate the investment agreement negotiations and reach the geological indication treaty as scheduled.

China is willing to make joint efforts with the EU to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, promote inclusive development, and maintain peace and stability, he said.

Rutte said that communications between the Netherlands and China have been close, and Premier Li’s visit to the Netherlands last year injects new power into bilateral relations.

In face of the current downward pressure on the global economy and trade, the Netherlands will enhance cooperation with China to uphold multilateralism and international order, and actively promote the development of Sino-EU relations, he said.