On the morning of October 27, local time, at the invitation of the government of the Netherlands, Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), arrived at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, kicking off his four-day official goodwill visit to the country.

In a written statement released upon his arrival, Jia said the friendly exchanges between both peoples have a long history. In recent years, the bilateral relations between China and the Netherlands have maintained a sound momentum with the joint efforts of the two governments and personages of all walks of life. Bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, trade and culture has achieved fruitful results, brought tangible benefits to the two peoples and made positive contribution to the overall development of bilateral ties between China and Europe, he said.

Jia said that China attaches great importance to the relations with the Netherlands and regards it as an important cooperation partner. He said he looked forward to exchanging views in the next few days with Dutch leaders on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern and broadly engaging with Dutch friends from all walks of life.

Jia said that he believed that with the joint efforts of both sides, this visit will be a success, and promote sustained and healthy development of bilateral relations.

Jia arrived in the Netherlands after concluding his visit to Greece. Later, he will also visit Germany.

Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General of the National Committee of the CPPCC Qian Yunlu and other accompanying officials arrived by the same plane. Ambassador of the Netherlands to China Rudolf Simon Bekink and other senior Dutch officials as well as Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands Zhang Jun greeted Jia at the airport.