Dutch PM affirms support for the Silk Road initiative

The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says his country will respond to China's One Belt, One Road initiative to improve trade connections between Asia and Europe.

Rutte has been on a six-day trip to China, which was to last until March 29, his second visit in two years. He was to attend the Bo'ao Forum and meet President Xi Jinping, a meeting he said would focus on discussing ways to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Xi visited the Netherlands in March last year.

"China's Silk Road initiatives are impressive and ambitious," Rutte said in an interview before he left for China. "They reflect China's confidence and its wish to invest in further connections with the region and the world, including the EU and the Netherlands. We welcome this and will engage with China."

If successful, the One Belt, One Road will run through Eurasia, connecting the Asia-Pacific region with Europe. It has the potential to link 4.4 billion people from more than 60 countries, or 63 percent of the global population.

Xi first made public the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt initiative in Astana, Kazakhstan, in September 2013, with an announcement of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative the following month in Indonesia.

The country has since established a so-called Silk Fund with an initial investment of $10 billion.

Rutte says the main purpose of his visit is to further enhance cooperation with China across a number of sectors.

Rutte says he will bring his Environment Minister Wilma Mansveld and representitives of 70 companies, ranging from small and medium-sized companies to multinationals.

The business delegation were to join Rutte on visits to companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen, Guangdong province, that includes stops at Huawei and DJI.

Rutte said that during Xi's state visit to the Netherlands last year, they agreed on a partnership to further strengthen cooperation. He said he planned to flesh out that agreement on his current visit to China.

He said the Netherlands and China face similar global challenges, such as climate change, environmental pollution, food safety and urbanization, adding that both countries want to invest in sustainable energy and capitalize on biodiversity. "The Netherlands has a lot to offer China in these areas, and they offer good opportunities for collaboration in the future."

Rutte said bringing Mansveld with him would allow the Netherlands to strengthen the nation's ties with China on issues of climate change and the environment.

Mansveld would meet Zhou Shengxian, China's minister of environmental protection, to discuss cooperation measures on air quality and how to utilize Dutch expertise in satellite climate monitoring, he said.

"This opens up prospects for better quality of life in both our countries and creates opportunities for Chinese and Dutch companies and research institutions," Rutte says.