BEIJING, May 16 -- China regards the Netherlands as a priority partner of cooperation within the European Union, and is ready to work with the Netherlands to promote cooperation in various fields to achieve new results, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Tuesday.

Li made the remarks during a phone conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

The open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation between China and the Netherlands, jointly defined by President Xi Jinping and King Willem-Alexander, meets the interests of the two countries and the needs of their people, Li said.

China will continue to open up its market, strengthen intellectual property protection, and welcome more Dutch high-quality specialty products and competitive firms coming into the Chinese market, Li said, expressing the hope that the Netherlands will provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese firms to invest in.

China is ready to deepen cooperation with the Netherlands in areas including agriculture, water conservancy and new energy, promote people-to-people exchanges and strengthen cooperation in multilateral areas such as addressing climate change, Li said.

Noting that both countries have benefited from and supported economic globalization and free trade, Li expressed the hope that the Netherlands will uphold the spirit of contract, adhere to market principles and WTO rules, safeguard the common interests of the two countries and their companies, and maintain the smooth flow of the global industrial and supply chains.

China's policy toward Europe is characterized by a high degree of consistency and stability, Li said, both China and Europe should practice true multilateralism and jointly oppose camp confrontation and the "new Cold War."

He wished that the Netherlands would urge Europe to adhere to strategic autonomy, and contribute more to the development of China-Europe ties.

For his part, Rutte said China is an important cooperative partner of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, deepen cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, water conservancy and climate change, and push forward the open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, he said.

The Netherlands is ready to continue to be a bond and bridge for cooperation and exchanges between Europe and China, he added.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.