Dutch King Willem Alexander welcomes China vice pres.

(11 May 2023) ASSOCIATED PRESS The Hague, Netherlands - 11 May 2023 1. Various of Vice President of China Han Zheng's motorcade arriving 2. Mid of Han exiting vehicle 3. Wide of Han climbing stairs 4. Push in on Han and King Willem Alexander shaking hands, UPSOUND (English) King Willem-Alexander: “Very good to have you here. I hope you had safe travels and everything. Thank you.“ 5. Various of Han and Willem Alexander seated STORYLINE: Dutch King Willem Alexander welcomed Chinese Vice President Han Zheng to The Hague on Thursday as China continued its diplomatic push in Europe. The visit comes amid increasingly cantankerous relations between China and the West. The 27-nation EU increasingly sees Beijing as a systemic rival on the global stage instead of an ally and economic partner. Willem Alexander received Han early on Thursday before Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is due to hold political talks with Han. On Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Berlin wants to work in partnership with China “everywhere it’s possible” but that it would be naive to ignore the risk of ending up in a position of reliance, including on security issues. It is a view increasingly shared in the West. The European Union is not specifically advocating decoupling from the economic and geopolitical giant but is proposing “de-risking” its relations instead to avoid becoming too dependent on China. The EU, of which the Netherlands is a founding member, also wants Beijing to be more forceful in addressing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The visit comes amid diplomatic tensions around proposed new EU trade measures against countries that help the Kremlin to circumvent the bloc’s sanctions against Russia. The proposal sparked a warning from China that it would retaliate if targeted by such sanctions. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel 44(0)2074827482 Email: info@. Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: