On the afternoon of March 27, 2024, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, who is paying a working visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People.
Xi Jinping noted that in recent years, the relations between China and the Netherlands have experienced sound and rapid development, with continuously deepened cooperation between the two countries in various fields. The Netherlands has become a veritable "gateway" for China-Europe cooperation. China is ready to maintain exchanges at various levels with the Netherlands, adhere to communication and dialogue, pursue mutual benefit and win-win results, and promote the continuous development of an open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation between China and the Netherlands. China is ready to expand imports of quality goods from the Netherlands and welcomes Dutch enterprises to invest in China. Xi expressed the hope that the Dutch side will provide a fair and transparent business environment for Chinese enterprises. The two sides should actively promote traditional cooperation in such fields as agriculture, water conservancy and energy, and tap the potential of cooperation in artificial intelligence, green transformation, silver economy, and other fields. He also expressed the hope that the two sides will continue to take more measures to facilitate personnel exchanges and encourage educational, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. China is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with the Netherlands in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity.
Xi Jinping stressed that economic globalization may encounter headwinds, but the historical trend will not change. "Decoupling and breaking industrial and supply chains" will lead to nowhere, and opening up and cooperation are the only choices. China has always believed that the zero-sum game mentality and black-or-white thinking are outdated, and that a truly secure world should be one featuring deep integration and interdependence. Artificially creating scientific and technological barriers and disrupting industrial and supply chains will only lead to division and confrontation. The Chinese people also have legitimate development rights, and no force can stop the pace of China's scientific and technological development and progress. China will always pursue a win-win approach, continue to open wider to the outside world at a high level, and share development dividends with all parties. China's policy toward Europe remains consistent and stable, and it regards Europe as an important pole and a cooperative partner in a multi-polar world. He expressed the hope that the Netherlands will continue to play an active role in promoting mutual understanding and the development of constructive relations between China and Europe.
Mark Rutte said that since his first visit to China as Prime Minister in 2013, and especially since he jointly announced with President Xi Jinping the establishment of the Netherlands-China open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation in 2014, bilateral relations have maintained sound development, with trade volume doubling and bilateral cooperation showing great potential and prospects. "Decoupling and breaking industrial and supply chains" is not a policy choice of the Dutch government, as any act harming China's development interests will only boomerang. The Dutch side thanked China for providing 15-day visa-free treatment for Dutch citizens visiting China. The Netherlands cherishes its friendly relationship with China, and is willing to continue deepening the partnership, facilitate personnel exchanges, strengthen cooperation in areas such as economy, trade and carbon emission reduction, and strengthen communication and coordination on multilateral occasions, including the G20, and on international and regional hotspot issues.
Wang Yi was present at the meeting.