The Netherlands and China will cooperate to prevent illegal immigration and repatriate denied asylum seekers, said Netherlands' Minister of Immigration and Integration Rita Verdonk in Beijing Tuesday.

At a press conference held by the embassy, Verdonk said the Netherlands will invite more Chinese experts to help identify the denied asylum seekers and repatriate them. She hoped both Beijing and Amsterdam airports could carry out cooperation in immigration affairs.

So far, the two sides have achieved successful progress in immigration cooperation. From 2002 to 2003, China sent two experts to the Netherlands immigration department for six weeks, and helped repatriate some Chinese citizens.

Verdonk noted that the Netherlands will be the chair nation of the European Union in the second half of 2004. China and Europe will sign re-admission agreements during the China-EU Summit at the end of the year, she said.

On her first official visit, the Netherlands minister met with Zhao Yongji, Chinese vice minister of public security.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2004)