Time to join hands for a new chapter

With the rise of trade protectionism and unilateralism, China and the Netherlands should build on and expand their common interests

The development of Sino-Dutch relations has long been at the forefront of China's interaction with the West. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Netherlands was among the first Western countries to give it official recognition. The two countries exchanged representatives in 1954, before officially establishing diplomatic ties at the ambassadorial level in 1972. Five years later, Princess Beatrix became one of the first European royal family members to visit China.

In the 70 years since the founding of the PRC, the two countries have come closer to cope with the changing international situation. After Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Netherlands in 2014 and the two countries established an open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation, Sino-Dutch bilateral relations have entered their best period in history, bringing tangible benefits to the Chinese and Dutch peoples.

Cooperation in the field of science and technology is particularly significant. In 1987, a memorandum of understanding on science and technology cooperation between the two governments made the Netherlands one of the first Western countries to carry out scientific research cooperation with China. It was the only developed country to sign an agreement for a strategic alliance in science and technology and carry out long-term equal cooperation in scientific research with China.

The Netherlands has also participated in China's opening-up. In March, the Netherlands-based ING Bank NV and Bank of Beijing decided to establish China's first joint venture bank with a foreign shareholding ratio of more than 50 percent.

High-level exchanges are also an important engine for developing bilateral ties. Since 2014, Premier Li Keqiang and Vice-President Wang Qishan have also visited the Netherlands.

Since 1994, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has visited China seven times in his capacities as crown prince, a water conservation specialist, and king. And he said it was "far from enough". Since becoming the Dutch Prime Minister in 2012, Mark Rutte has visited China four times and hopes to visit it frequently. The tradition of China-Netherlands high-level friendly exchanges and the increasingly close relations have enhanced political mutual trust and deepened cooperation between the two countries.

The bilateral trade volume rose from less than $69 million when diplomatic relations were established to $85.2 billion in 2018, up nearly a thousand times. Since 2000, the Netherlands has remained among China's top three trading partners in the European Union while China is the Netherlands' second largest trading partner outside the EU.

In recent years, the Netherlands has fully utilized its entrep?t trade advantage and become an important hub for the Belt and Road Initiative. The port of Rotterdam is the first stop for nearly half of China's deep-water freight routes to Europe. One third of Rotterdam port goods come from China. In May, Rotterdam officially joined the Chengdu-Tilburg-Rotterdam-Express, which opened a new efficient and low-cost logistics transportation channel for Europe to connect with mid-western Chinese cities.

Also, seven Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have opened direct flights to and from Amsterdam. Nearly 100 passenger and cargo flights fly between China and the Netherlands every week.

Colorful cultural exchanges are also an important cornerstone of ties between the two peoples. Today, the two countries see about 1.3 million mutual nongovernmental visits. Chinese tourists make nearly 350,000 visits annually to the Netherlands, the maximum by Asian tourists.

The Netherlands has listed China as one of three countries with which it is prioritizing education cooperation. China is the second largest source of international students for the Netherlands, with nearly 10,000 Chinese students studying there. China is also the country with the most Dutch consulates. Besides, the Netherlands is home to the China Cultural Center in The Hague and over 10 Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms. Three Chinese documentaries filmed by Dutch youth Ruben Terlou became very popular after being broadcast on Dutch TV station, creating a record 10 million viewers in the Netherlands, the population of which is only 17 million.

It is also worth mentioning here that to welcome two giant pandas, Wu Wen and Xing Ya, the Netherlands built the world's most plush panda palace.

Sino-Dutch relations are definitely facing new challenges with the rise of trade protectionism and unilateralism. But China and the Netherlands have similar positions and common interests and will treat the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC as a new starting point to cope with future development challenges.

They should join hands to construct the Belt and Road Initiative and improve connectivity in the Eurasian continent. They should seek further strategic synergy, give full play to the comprehensive bilateral connectivity, bring out the effect of the Netherlands as the European Gateway and the Belt and Road Initiative bridgehead, and accelerate cooperation between the Yangtze River Delta and the Rhine Delta region.

They should work together to become practitioners of the community with a shared future for mankind. In June, the Global Center for Adaptation initiated by the Netherlands to respond to climate change set up its first branch in China. Through this new platform, the two sides can jointly promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China and the Netherlands should continue to strengthen scientific and technological cooperation, jointly promote the fourth industrial revolution, and strengthen communication on issues such as cybersecurity.

The two countries should work together to promote global governance system reform, to safeguard the open and free trade environment and World Trade Organization rules, promote the construction of an open world economy, strive to provide a fair, just and nondiscriminatory business environment for both enterprises and promote China-EU investment agreement negotiations.

The Netherlands is the seat of the International Court of Justice and two Chinese justices have served as president and vice-president there. The two countries should continue to cooperate in the field of international law, chemical weapons prohibition and counterterrorism to promote the improvement of the global governance system.

The author is China's ambassador to the Netherlands. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily Global 11/05/2019 page13)