Xiamen seeks closer ties with the Netherlands
Closer ties were on the agenda when Zhang Quan, director general of the foreign affairs office of Xiamen city – located in East China's Fujian province – held talks with Frank van Beuningen, the Netherlands consul general in South China's Guangzhou city, on March 9.
They discussed boosting commerce and trade and cooperation between Xiamen and the Netherlands in areas such as trade, culture, the arts and sister-city exchanges.
Director General Zhang welcomed the envoy, briefing him on Xiamen's latest economic and social developments – adding that Xiamen had close exchanges and interactions with the Netherlands.
Zhang urged the diplomat to continue to assist in facilitating mutually beneficial cooperation between Xiamen and the Netherlands in trade and investment, sister-city exchanges, scientific innovation, new energy, agricultural products and green development.
Beuningen said that the Netherlands is an open, innovative and inclusive country. He said that both sides are keen to undertake cooperation in such areas as sustainable development and cross-border e-commerce.
China has decided to extend its visa waiver policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom starting from Feb 17.
Forty-one new port-of-entry duty-free shops have been established nationwide, with Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport, Xiamen Wutong Passenger Wharf, and Xiamen International Cruise Center included on the list.
