The Sino-European economic cooperation has "limitless" potential and will be strengthened by the efforts of the two sides, said the visiting Netherlands Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende in Beijing Wednesday.

Balkenende made the remark at a press conference held at the end of his four-day China visit started on Monday.

Describing the visit as "successful" and "fruitful", Balkenende said he has exchanged views with Chinese leadership "deeply" and "frankly" on issues of common concern, including economic cooperation.

The Prime Minister, whose country will soon assume the rotating chairmanship of the European Union (EU), said he believed there will be more investment and trade between China and EU.

"The EU will also benefit from the economic tie with China at this moment when it suffers from an economic slowdown and rising unemployment," he said.

Statistics showed that China-EU trade surpassed US$100 billion for the first time in 2003. China-Holland trade volume, in particular, scored a year-on-year growth of 44.3 percent last year, posing Holland China's second largest trade partner in the European Union (EU) second only to Germany. Holland is also the fourth largest European investor in China with a number of big corporations operating in China.

Balkenende suggested China further improve its market transparency and intellectual property rights protection to give foreign investors more confidence to do business here.

He also said he will encourage European small businesses to share experience with their Chinese peers, because vigorous small businesses are essential to a robust economy.

To realize this goal, the Prime Minister said he will hold a Sino-European business leader summit one day after the seventh China-EU summit which will be staged on Dec. 8 in Holland.

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Balkenende arrived in Beijing Monday morning on a working visit to China.

(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2004)