Diplomats upbeat

In The Hague, veteran Dutch diplomat Peter Potman said he has witnessed firsthand the rapid development of the bilateral relationship between China and the Netherlands in the past decades.

Potman's first diplomatic posting abroad was as third secretary in Beijing at the end of 1980s.

"At the time, trade between the Netherlands and China was not as developed as it is now, only a handful of (Dutch) companies had investments in China," he told nearly 100 guests attending a reception on Tuesday evening at the Chinese embassy in The Hague to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Returning to China in 2011 as the Netherlands' consul-general in Shanghai, Potman saw huge progress.

"All major Dutch companies had, and still have, investments in China, and the country hosts the largest Dutch diplomatic network in the world," said Potman, who is now deputy director-general for foreign economic relations at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said also that he has witnessed the economic miracle in China, citing the fact that China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, become a crucial player in a globalized world and the world's second-largest economy.

"China is a fast-growing market for Dutch businesses. Its large R&D budgets, large pool of talent and high-quality knowledge infrastructure offer many opportunities, especially in sectors such as agriculture, health, environment and logistics," he said.

All major Dutch companies now have investments in China and more than 700 Dutch companies are active in the country, according to Potman.