China, Netherlands agree to build consensus, strengthen cooperation

The Hague, The Gulf Observer: Visiting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and leaders of the Netherlands have agreed to seek consensus, jointly tackle climate change and strengthen pragmatic cooperation.

At the invitation of the Dutch government, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng visited the Netherlands from Wednesday to Friday, where he met with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and held talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague.

Noting Sino-Dutch ties have maintained healthy and steady development, Han hoped his visit could further promote the bilateral open and practical comprehensive cooperative partnership.

He pointed out that economic globalization has encountered some difficulties but the general trend is irreversible.

China and the Netherlands have a lot of room for cooperation in the fields including green and low-carbon development and climate change, Han added, calling on the two sides to work together to meet challenges.

The Chinese vice president also said different countries and civilizations should respect, understand and support each other to seek consensus in exchanges and strive for win-win results through cooperation.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander noted the most important issue facing mankind in the 21st century is the environment issue and praised China’s achievements, which are obvious to all, in solving the water resources and sanitation problems faced by its huge population.

The Netherlands and China have played an important role in sustainable development and environmental protection and should further strengthen cooperation to promote global carbon neutrality and emission reduction, said the Dutch king.

He urged the international community to pay more focus on reaching consensus, mutually respecting each other’s civilizations and identifying with each other’s identities, saying it is the diversity of these civilizations and identities that makes every nation and country unique.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Rutte, Han stressed that in recent years, by upholding the spirit of mutual respect and mutual trust, China and the Netherlands have joined hands to address challenges, jointly ensure the stability of the global production and supply chains, and contribute to the economies of the two countries and the world.

At present, China’s economy is stabilizing and rebounding better than expected, which will definitely help the global economic recovery and provide a broader space for Sino-Dutch practical cooperation, Han said.

He added China is willing to communicate extensively with the Dutch side, consolidate mutual trust, jointly explore the direction of cooperation under the new situation so as to promote the healthy development of Sino-Dutch relations, and jointly promote world peace, security and prosperity.

The Chinese vice president also pointed out that the key to tackling climate change lies in action, which requires the joint attention and efforts of the international community.

There is no conflict of fundamental interests between China and Europe, but instead, they have more complementary advantages, Han noted, voicing China’s willingness to promote the better development of China-Europe relations through pragmatic cooperation.

Rutte welcomed Han’s visit, saying that China is an important trading partner of the Netherlands.

The relationship between the two sides is strong and powerful, and there is great room for pragmatic cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, green and low carbon, as well as climate change, he said.

There are many problems in today’s world, and China’s role is indispensable, Rutte said, expressing hope for the rapid recovery of Dutch-Chinese exchanges.

He also expressed the willingness to deepen pragmatic cooperation between the two sides, strengthen scientific and technological cooperation in the field of climate change, and help achieve the global goal of coping with climate change.

After the talks, Han and Rutte visited the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague.

During his visit to the Netherlands, Han also met with the heads of Dutch chip equipment company ASML and Dutch paints and coatings giant Akzo Nobel respectively, and visited the headquarters of Philips Company in Amsterdam.