The third-biggest investment destination for Chinese enterprises in the European Union, the Netherlands, offers both favorable policies and a good environment for boosting bilateral economic ties between the two countries, a senior Dutch official said.

"The Netherlands is a smart choice to locate a pan-European operation, whether it's a European headquarters, a shared services center, a customer care center, a distribution and logistics operation, or an R&D facility," said Chris Teunissen, executive director for China at the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency. He said the two countries have huge joint potential in such areas as politics, economics, education, culture, environment and healthcare.

To date, Chinese companies have established some 550 operations in the Netherlands, creating more than 8,500 jobs.

Last year, imports from China to the Netherlands reached about 34.3 billion euros ($38.2 billion) and exports from the Netherlands to China amounted to 8.6 billion euros.

Teunissen said the Netherlands provides a perfect springboard into the European market, with access to 95 percent of Europe's most lucrative consumer markets within 24 hours' rail or road transport of Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

"With attractive innovation and R&D incentives, and a statutory corporate income tax rate of 20 to 25 percent, the Netherlands is among Europe's most attractive countries for international companies," he said.

Teunissen said the abilities of the country's workforce are also attractive to foreign investors. About 90 percent of Dutch are fluent in English, the lingua franca of international business, science and technology.

Henk Kamp, Dutch minister of economic affairs, said "These investments are vital to boost our economy and create jobs for a lot of people."

Many Chinese companies use the Netherlands as a base for marketing and sales to the different markets of Europe. Currently, nearly 8,200 foreign companies have established over 11,200 operations in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is one of the principal choices for Chinese companies to locate their European headquarters, including famous names such as Hikvision, Liugong, Mindray, BYD and Opple.

The country offers an attractive test market, adaptable consumers and an open culture.

"In the last couple of years we've seen many Chinese companies set up R&D centers in the Netherlands and more companies beginning to collaborate with Dutch high-tech enterprises and universities, such as Yili, Mapscape and Yongli," Teunissen said. "Chinese investors are interested in the high quality of the Dutch business community and the favorable living environment."

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