BRUSSELS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China has hosted a "very successful" Olympic Games, which has helped the world know more about the country, former Dutch ambassador to China Dirk Jan van den Berg told Xinhua in a recent interview.

    Van den Berg, who returned home in February after a two-and-a- half-year tenure in China, said China's booming economy will make it an increasingly important player in the world and the West should shed its Cold War mentality and engage with China in a constructive way.     

    OLYMPICS RAISES CHINA'S PROFILE

    The organization of the Beijing Olympic Games was "very successful," and Dutch media's assessment was also positive, van den Berg said.

    "I think the Games have been very successful and I can only congratulate the Chinese authorities on being able to achieve that," said van den Berg, who is now president of the executive board of Delft University of Technology.

    Van den Berg called the opening ceremony "an immense spectacle," which allowed audiences worldwide to have a glimpse of Chinese culture and history.

    "The Games demonstrated China's ability to organize such a large-scale event. I am confident that the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai will turn out as a big success too," he said.

    Van den Berg said the Games has further boosted China's international image and also aroused unprecedented interest in China.

    The Beijing Olympics has made China a hot topic in the Netherlands. In an average Dutch bookstore one can find plenty of books about China. Dutch television stations also broadcast an array of interesting programs about China.

    For many Dutch citizens, or Westerners in general, China remains a relatively little known country, van den Berg said. "It is a bit surprising that in fact not many people do understand the pace with which China is developing."

    Therefore it is important to draw people's attention to what's happening in China so that they will "understand that China is well on its way to become a very important country," he said.

    In his opinion, the Beijing Olympics has contributed to the development of Dutch-China relations as more Dutch people are beginning to understand China.

    It is "understandable" that there is criticism about China, vanden Berg said. "Nobody is perfect."

    "A lot of work needs to be done to promote mutual understanding and improve communication between peoples of the Netherlands, Western Europe and China. That is very important," he said.     

    CHINA A RISING POWER

    Speaking about China's role in the world, van den Berg said China's economic development in the coming two decades will make it increasingly important in the world.

    "I don't believe that it is China's ambition to have some sort of leadership role in the sense that everybody else has to act like Chinese," he said.

    However, China is expected to assume more responsibility on the international stage, he said.

    China's strength will not only lie in the volume of its production, but als in the quality of its products, he said. "China is investing a lot in research and development, and it willno doubt achieve (a lot) in that area in the coming 10 to 20 years."

    "That is something we will be faced with," he said. "Therefore it is exceedingly important for us to try to get to know Chinese better."     

    WRONG PERCEPTION ABOUT CHINA

    Talking about his life in China, the former ambassador said what struck him most was the openness of the Chinese society, which was quite contrary to what he had read about from news reports.

    "Many things can be freely discussed, and the Chinese society is actually much more open and transparent than what we had expected," he said, adding that this could be quite surprising to people like him who visit China for the first time.

    "We still use too much the old Cold War framework in the days of the former Soviet Union as a point of reference" to understand China, he said.

    Some of the current criticism against China actually stemmed from that wrong perception, he noted.

    "That is a totally wrong approach to assess what's happening inpresent-day China," he said.

    When he was invited to give lectures about China in the Netherlands, the most frequently asked questions were about China's political system, he said.

    China's efforts to communicate with the world before and during the Olympics are "worthwhile" and are even more important considering China's rapid growth and the possible perception of China as a sort of "threat" in othe parts of the world, he said.

    "It is extremely important to make a sustained effort to explain (to the world) what China is doing and what your policies are, and to be transparent," he said.

    ENGAGEMENT WITH CHINA

    "China in its history has never been so open to foreigners as it is now. We should simply grab the opportunity, go there and engage in dialogue," he told parliament in June.

    The Netherlands is China's second biggest trading partner within the European Union, and enhancing relations with China is to the benefit of the country, he said.

    During his tenure as ambassador to China, one of his priorities was to strive to increase mutual understanding between the two countries and peoples.

    He encouraged his fellow Dutch people to travel to China. The best way to understand China is to "go there and see for yourself, and talk to people," he said.

    In fact, most Dutch tourists consider Chinese very friendly and hospitable, and have enjoyed their stay in the country, the former ambassador said.