During a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi called for the expansion of imports of high-quality goods from the European nation and welcomed Dutch companies to invest in China.

He expressed his wish for the Netherlands to provide a fair and transparent business environment for China’s enterprises.

Xi urged the two sides to promote traditional cooperation in such fields as agriculture, water conservation and energy, and tap the potential of collaboration in artificial intelligence, green transformation and the silver economy, among other topics.

He also expressed hope that the two countries will take further steps to facilitate personnel exchanges and promote educational and cultural encounters.

The Chinese president emphasized that economic globalization is the historic trend and there is no way out to “separate and break the chain,” as openness and cooperation are the only option.

According to a CCTV report, Xi reminded that the Chinese people also have legitimate development rights and no force can stop the pace of China’s scientific and technological progress.

He reiterated that Beijing will continue to pursue a win-win approach, open up more to the outside world at a high level and share dividends with all parties.

Rutte, in turn, highlighted the momentum of bilateral relations, especially since he and the Chinese president announced the establishment of an open and practical comprehensive cooperation partnership between the two countries in 2014.

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