China, Netherlands agree to strengthen military ties

China and the Netherlands decided here Monday to make more efforts to further improve relations between their armed forces.

The pledge was made by Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and his Dutch counterpart Henk Kamp during their talks in The Hague.

Cao, who is on a three-day visit to the European country, stressed the important role played by the Netherlands in promoting the strategic partnership established between China and the European Union.

To further improve the relations between the two armed forces and to cooperate in a wider range of issues is in the fundamental interest of both countries, he said.

China is willing to make concerted efforts to promote the ties between the two militaries to a high level, he said.

Kamp said that he is pleased with the latest developments in relations between the two armed forces and predicted good prospects for future cooperation.

With its economic boom and considerable progress in social reforms, China is gaining a more important role on the world arena. The Dutch government has attached great importance to further development of military-to-military cooperation with China, he said.

The Netherlands is the third stop of Cao's four-nation tour to Africa and Europe. He has visited Egypt and Tanzania and is to leave for Denmark Tuesday.