CRI听力:Dutch: China's Second Largest Trading Partner in EU

This is the first time a Chinese leader has visited the Netherlands since the two sides established bilateral relations over 40 years ago.

Xi Jinping is also the first head of state that has paid a state visit to the Netherlands since Willem-Alexander was sworn in as the Dutch king last year.

At the China-Netherlands Trade and Economic Forum on Sunday, President Xi is emphasizing the importance of the advantages the Netherlands enjoys as the gateway to Europe.

"At present, the Netherlands is still the European Union's trading and investment center. There is much more we can do to push forward Sino-Dutch economic and trade cooperation. By promoting a pragmatic partnership we can not only boost development of the two countries, but also help in the steady recovery of the global economy."

President Xi is also encouraging more strong Chinese companies to invest in the Netherlands and is welcoming more Dutch companies to invest in China.

The Netherlands has been China's second-largest trading partner in the European Union, or EU, for 11 consecutive years.

Aart Jacobi, the Dutch ambassador to China, says that though the Netherlands is a small country, it is also the logistics center of the European Union.

He says bilateral trade between the two countries is about 40 billion euros per year, second only to the trade that China has with Germany.

"We have the biggest harbor and very good transport facilities to the rest of Europe. So quite a lot of that 40 billion euros is not only for the Netherlands, but there are also goods that we transport all over the European Union."

Meantime Jacobi believes that Xi Jinping's visit can accelerate cooperation in many fields, including energy, culture, and education.

But the Dutch ambassador is most confident in the country's agriculture sector.

He says the Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural products, after the United States.

"We export 80 billion US dollars per year in agricultural goods. We import 55 billion, by the way, per year. And one of the secrets is technology and control of the entire chain. This is extremely difficult."

He adds that the Netherlands is willing to share its experience in agricultural development with other countries.

For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.