作为欧洲门户，远航船队是荷兰的象征之一。我们不妨把中荷两国关系也比作在大海里航行的轮船。这艘航船为什么能够劈波斩浪、不断前行？我认为至少有以下几个因素：

　　首先， 数十年风云变幻，相互尊重、追求和平始终是我们的前行之“舵”。荷兰国际法先驱雨果.格老秀斯的最大贡献，在于提出了国家主权原则，指出国家之间的法律“所谋取的不是任何国家的个别利益，而是各国的共同利益。”中国在65年前首倡“互相尊重主权和领土完整、互不侵犯、互不干涉内政、平等互利、和平共处”五项原则，现在又提出推动构建人类命运共同体，也是要促进不同文明的国家之间和平、和谐、合作与发展。我们对国际公平、正义和人类进步事业的共同追求，为航船指明了方向。正因为如此，两国在应对气候变化和联合国维和进程等全球性问题上，开展了卓有成效的合作。所以，只要我们牢牢把准方向，不论遇到什么风浪冲击和激流险滩，我们就都能求同存异，齐心协力，破浪前行。

As the gateway to Europe, the powerful merchant fleet is one of the symbols of the Netherlands. We may compare Sino-Dutch relations to a ship sailing in the sea. Why is this ship able to cleave through the waves and keep moving forward? I think there are at least the following reasons:

First of all, despite the vicissitudes of the times, mutual respect and the pursuit of peace have always been the "Compass" that guides us ahead. The greatest contribution of the Dutch international law pioneer Hugo Grotius lies in putting forward the principle of state sovereignty and pointing out that the laws between countries "do not seek the individual interests of any country, but the common interests of all countries." Sixty-five years ago, China put forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, that is, "mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and cooperation for mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence". Now, China is advocating the promotion of building of a community of shared future for mankind. This is also for the purpose of promoting peace, harmony, cooperation and development between countries of different civilizations.

Our common pursuit of international fairness, justice and human progress has pointed out the direction for our ship. Based upon this, the two countries have carried out fruitful cooperation on global issues such as climate change and the UN peacekeeping process. Therefore, as long as we firmly master the course of our ship, we can always seek common ground while reserving differences and work together to break the waves, no matter what storms and torrents are encountered.

　　其次，数十年岁月变迁，勤劳勇敢、坚持不懈始终是我们的友谊之“锚”。正如荷兰国徽上镌刻的铭文所示，荷兰人凭借“坚持不懈”的民族性格与大海搏斗，围海造田，在一片低地、沼泽地上建起美丽的家园，锐意创新，打造了一大批世界级的高科技企业，成为欧盟最具竞争力的经济体之一。中国则凭着自力更生、艰苦创业的精神，从刚解放时期的一穷二白成为世界工厂，又在此基础上不断加大投入，从世界工厂变成全球最具活力的创新中心。我们取得了使7.8亿人脱贫等巨大成就，还成为带动全球经济增长的强劲引擎。中荷两个民族共同具有的上述坚韧品格和对美好生活的共同向往，是两国各项事业取得成就的力量源泉，也是连接两国友好关系的基因和纽带。

Secondly, despite the vicissitudes of the times, hard work, bravery and perseverance have always been the "anchor" of our friendship. As shown by the inscriptions engraved on the Dutch national emblem, the Dutch people struggled against the sea with the national character of "perseverance". The Dutch people have built a field around the sea, have built a beautiful homeland on lowland and swamp, and are determined to innovate and created a large number of world-class high-tech companies, making the Netherlands one of the most competitive economies in the European Union.

China, with the spirit of self-reliance and hard work, became a world factory from a country "poor and blank" just after liberation, and by continuously increasing its investment, has become the most dynamic innovation center in the world from the world factory. We have made great achievements including getting 780 million people out of poverty, and has become a powerful engine for global economic growth. The above-mentioned tenacity and aspirations for a better life shared by the peoples of China and the Netherlands are the driving force for the achievements of the two countries, and are also the genes and bonds that link the friendly relations between our two countries.

　　第三，数十年世事沉浮，开放包容、务实互利始终是我们的合作之“帆”。荷兰以贸易立国，是自由贸易的灯塔。中国实行改革开放政策以来，不断加大开放力度，推进国际经贸合作。30年前，中荷双边贸易额还不足10亿美元，去年则达到850多亿美元，荷兰成为中国在欧盟内的第二大贸易伙伴。目前，每周有90多班客货运航班往返于阿姆斯特丹与中国7大城市之间，两国开通多趟中欧班列，中国近半数赴欧深水货运航线选择鹿特丹港作为首站停靠港，中荷“一带一路”合作已成为亚欧互联互通和世界互联互通的重要组成部分。今年3月，荷兰ING银行成为首家与中国合资伙伴成立外资持股比超过50%、绝对持股的外国银行。此外，世界上最长的跨海大桥--中国港珠澳大桥和人类首次登陆月球背面的中国嫦娥四号卫星项目，都凝结着中荷双方科技团队的智慧和心血。可以说，尽管双方社会制度、文化传统和发展阶段不同，但彼此利益交融，互利共赢的理念已经深入人心。

Thirdly, despite the vicissitudes of the times, openness and inclusiveness, pragmatism and mutual benefit have always been the "sail" of our cooperation. For the Netherlands, trade is the foundation underlying all efforts to build the country. And the Netherlands has become a beacon of free trade. As for China, since the implementation of the reform and opening up policy, China has continuously increased its opening-up and promoted international economic and trade cooperation. Thirty years ago, our bilateral trade volume was less than 1 billion US dollars, whilst, it reached over 85 billion last year, making the Netherlands China's second largest trade partner in EU.

Nowadays, with over 90 cargo and passenger flights per week between Amsterdam and 7 major Chinese cities, several Sino-Euro freight trains between our two countries, and over half of the deep-water freight ships from China taking Rotterdam as the first stop, our cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative is playing a more and more important role in Asia-Europe connectivity and global connectivity. This March, the Dutch ING Bank set up a joint venture bank with Beijing Bank, becoming the first foreign investor with over 50% ownership in a bank in China. Besides, the world's longest cross-sea bridge, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and the first probe landing on the far side of the moon-- the Chang'e-4 lunar landing exploration, have all drawn on experiences from Chinese and Dutch technical and science teams. With no doubt, while there are differences in our social systems, cultures and stages of development, our interests are intertwined, and the concept of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation has been deeply rooted in our hearts.