Xi Jinping Exchanges Messages of Congratulations with Dutch King Willem-Alexander on the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of China-Netherlands Diplomatic Relations

On May 18, 2022, President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Dutch King Willem-Alexander to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Netherlands.

Xi Jinping pointed out, since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Netherlands, thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, bilateral relations have been developing continuously with cooperation in various fields yielding fruitful results. In 2014, I worked with King Willem-Alexander to elevate China-Netherlands relations to an open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation. The Netherlands has played a more prominent role as a gateway to China-European Union cooperation. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and the Netherlands have supported each other, demonstrating the profound friendship between the two peoples. I attach great importance to the development of China-Netherlands relations and am ready to make joint efforts with King Willem-Alexander to promote the sustained, sound and stable development of China-Netherlands relations for the benefit of the two countries and two peoples.

Willem-Alexander said, over the past 50 years, bilateral relations have developed vigorously with active exchanges in fields such as economy and trade, and people-to-people and cultural affairs. The Netherlands believes that with the joint efforts of both sides, the outstanding and fruitful relations between the Netherlands and China will be further consolidated and developed.

On the same day, Premier Li Keqiang and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte exchanged congratulatory messages. Li Keqiang said, the Chinese side is ready to work with the Dutch side to take the opportunity of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries to further strengthen exchanges in various fields, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and constantly elevate China-Netherlands relations to new heights. Rutte said, since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Netherlands and China, bilateral relations have made great progress. He hopes that the two sides will deepen cooperation, and join hands to promote economic recovery and tackle climate change.