China regards the Netherlands as an important partner in Europe, said top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo while meeting with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Tuesday.

Wu Bangguo (left), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Hague, the Netherlands, Tuesday May 15, 2012. [Photo by Xinhua]

"China attaches great importance to friendly cooperation with the Netherlands," said Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, during a meeting with the queen shortly after his arrival for an official goodwill visit.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, and the development of bilateral relations is at a new starting point, said Wu.

The queen saw Wu's visit as extremely meaningful in deepening friendship and cooperation at all levels between China and the Netherlands, and she will continue to promote sound Sino-Dutch relations.

Wu later also met Mark Rutte, the caretaker Dutch prime minister.

It is the "best time in history" for bilateral ties between the Netherlands and China, said Wu, as he arrived in Amsterdam.

"It has brought concrete benefits to people on both sides and has contributed to overall Sino-European relations," Wu said.

The visit marks the top lawmaker's first time in the Netherlands. It is the third time in one month that a member of China's top leadership has visited the debt-ridden continent.

Wu's visit can help remove any uncertainty around Sino-European ties, said Zhao Junjie, an expert on European studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Zhao added that China and the Netherlands, as well as other European countries, can learn from each other during Wu's visit.

China can learn how to deal with the problems created when large numbers of farmers come into cities and how to solve urban traffic problems because Europe is one of the places where urbanization occurred first, he said.

Wu's visit again demonstrates Chinese support for European countries, which are in the throes of a fiscal crisis, said Shan Yannan, an expert on European studies with the Chinese Association for European Studies.

During Wu's visit, China can also gain more information about Europe and where governmental changes have taken place, Shen said.

Wu's visit comes after a series of visits by top Chinese leaders.

Vice-Premier Li Keqiang concluded an official 10-day tour to Europe on May 4, following Premier Wen Jiabao, who had highlighted China's confidence in the European economy during his stay. Both tours have put trade and expanding opportunities for investment on the top of the agenda.

Wu Jianmin, former Chinese ambassador to France, said that close visits by top Chinese leaders to Europe are not common, but they are a gesture of good will toward European countries, which are still struggling.

The Netherlands is China's second-largest trade partner and export market in the European Union. It is also China's third-largest source country of foreign capital, with an estimated $11.9 billion in more than 2,600 projects across China, including petrochemical processing, manufacturing, finance and logistics.

Sino-Dutch trade reached $68.2 billion in 2011, a 21 percent increase, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

The year 2011 saw China become the second-largest source of investment in the Netherlands, next only to the United States, with a 62 percent increase in direct investment.

The Netherlands is the first stop of Wu's four-nation visit. He will also visit Croatia, Luxemburg and Spain.

Contact the writers at zhaoyinan@chinadaily.com.cn and zhouwa@chinadaily.com.cn