Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende reiterated Friday that he will attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported.
Defending his decision to visit Beijing, Balkenende said that the discussion about human rights in China is focusing too much on the upcoming Olympics.
He said that nobody is calling for an economic boycott of China, or a halt to tourist trips to the Asian country.
On Thursday, the European Parliament called on European Union (EU) leaders to boycott the opening ceremony of the Games in Beijing despite opposition from the international community to attempts to politicize the Games. Balkenende said Thursday that he still intended to attend the ceremony.
The Netherlands and China have established close ties in economic, cultural and other fields.
The Netherlands is China's second biggest trade partner within the EU, and bilateral trade jumped by 34 percent last year to reach record 46.3 billion U.S. dollars.
Source:Xinhua
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