Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

However, many countries with close economic and trade relations with the British Empire were worried that this would intensify the competition between Britain and the Netherlands there, especially Spain and Portugal. They were afraid of affecting their colonies there. Therefore, Spain was still hesitant at the time, fearing that it would really It undermined the relationship between Britain, France and Prussia and Spain, especially France.

However, Cantur emphasized that His Majesty William IV clearly told these prime ministers and presidents that the Netherlands has no intention of turning them or other countries completely to the Dutch side, but hopes to promote good international norms with partners to develop countries. economy.

This includes cooperation among countries on economic issues that are lagging behind the three major industrial countries of Britain, France and Prussia.

He specifically mentioned improving the transparency of investment needs, promoting good governance, and conducting appropriate discussions and practical operations on cooperation with Dutch financial institutions.

He also said: "We clearly know that any plan formulated purely for competition will be difficult to succeed in various channels, because each country has its own interests, and cooperation must be based on the interests of each country and the needs and expectations of each country. We in the Netherlands The Kingdom is not naive.”

Cantur: “The challenge we continue to face is not our inability to compete, but our ability to cooperate with countries and implement a sustained strategy

We need to show that the Netherlands is a solid partner and that our strategic interests will push us to play a larger and larger role, which will take some convincing and our actions to prove it."

Some people say that before His Majesty William IV, his grandfathers His Majesty William II and His Majesty William III had successively proposed "strategic eastward movement and the development of the Dutch East Indies colony", but in the end they were all due to the dissatisfaction of the local people and the dissatisfaction of the combined countries. Being optimistic, as well as European and even international affairs, distracted attention and failed. As a result, many early projects formulated by the Netherlands were abandoned or reduced in scale. They doubted whether the Netherlands' development plan for the Far East would follow suit this time.

In this regard, Cantur pointed out that the Netherlands is now "deeply aware that this cannot happen again." Today, the strategic reality of the Netherlands is different from the past. The center of international politics is no longer the superpower in the East 50 years ago, and it is not entirely the same. In the English Channel, or the Mediterranean before that, the international economic center of gravity has a tendency to expand outward to the west of the Atlantic Ocean and to the Americas, and it is even becoming increasingly obvious.

As the Netherlands developed in the Far East, there was prosperity there, but it was not on a scale comparable to that of North America.

The Netherlands seeks to expand areas of cooperation with other countries, including education, economy and security, which are also issues of concern to the Netherlands and its partner countries.

Compared with the emphasis of the two kings before His Majesty William IV on the Dutch East Indies, Cantur said that the Netherlands' strategic eastward shift makes people feel that the Netherlands will shift its attention from the two groups to the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions in the Far East. We call it the Indo-Pacific strategy in the Amsterdam diplomatic community. This strategy is currently the largest project of the Netherlands. It mainly focuses on developing itself in the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, the Netherlands will deepen cooperation with European and American partners there in the future. In addition , His Majesty William IV has also become more deeply aware that in order to promote the Netherlands' strategic shift and Indo-Pacific strategy, the investment of resources is the key.

In the past, a small group of local Dutch officials in the Netherlands were responsible for Far Eastern affairs, the largest being a governor. Cantur revealed that now the entire Dutch government is involved. For example, in the previous years of the Dutch administration of Les Australia, all provinces All high-level senior officials were personally invited by His Majesty William IV, and after approval by the Senate, all former Dutch Prime Ministers were used to serve.

This is an unprecedented "feat". You must know that this is the prime minister who has managed the entire Netherlands before, but now he is using "dimensionality reduction."

For example, at every cabinet government meeting now, all Dutch cabinet members must propose the development of Far Eastern affairs in their own departments, so as to coordinate various departments and promote development.

Some people in Europe questioned or even criticized the failure to arrange talks between William IV and Andrew Johnson. In this regard, Cantur disclosed that although William IV did not participate in the talks on specific matters, His Majesty William IV communicated with every visiting prime minister and president. There was a "brief private time" to talk about something that was of mutual interest to them.

In addition to discussing cooperation matters, Cantur said that the Netherlands will also discuss some currently "uncomfortable" sensitive issues with the four countries. For example, the current dispute between the Netherlands and Britain, Prussia and France over the "warship circumvention incident".

The Balkan disputes and the Caucasus disputes between Tsarist Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

Gibraltar dispute between Spain and Britain.

There is also the attitude of the American Commonwealth towards the separatist Confederacy in the South and the views of the Netherlands. Of course, there is also the negotiation and countermeasures for the invasion of the Rothschild family.

Cantur said that the Netherlands is also ready to raise different opinions with other countries. "We hope to start and continue a partnership so that everyone can discuss real issues in a meaningful way."

Cantur pointed out that the Netherlands needs to be more familiar with the views of other countries on the Netherlands and the outside world, and also needs to have a better understanding of the domestic political operations of the Netherlands and the Netherlands' foreign policy.

For example, although both parties (parties) in the Dutch Parliament support Tolbeck's foreign strategy, they have serious differences on economic and trade issues, and the Dutch political circle revolves around the policy towards Britain, France and Prussia, so a large-scale debate is needed.

Cantur said that there are still many countries that are not unclear about the Netherlands' strategy, but their initial contacts with the Netherlands sometimes appear to be too cautious. "Our Majesty would like to do our best to remove these doubts."

"We continue to cooperate closely with the Russian Empire in the security field, and we also hope to contact the Spanish Navy as soon as possible. However, due to historical factors, we may still face some difficulties in initial contact."

Cantur did not further explain the so-called "historical factors", but he believed that he was referring to Spain's main allies being France and Portugal, both of which have had serious disputes with the Netherlands in recent years.

Portugal and the Netherlands competed for both sides of the Congo River estuary in Africa, which led to a war in Angola and Mozambique, which ultimately ended with the Netherlands winning. Therefore, the relationship between the Netherlands and Portugal is not currently harmonious.

France invaded the eastern part of Cambodia in the Kingdom of Siam, the Dutch ally in the Far East. Therefore, the Netherlands finally stood up to oppose it, whether it was moral or strategic, and took the lead in imposing economic sanctions on France. This caused the Dutch and French Relationship breakdown.

Cantur said that Spain plays a very important role. Spain's dominance in the Philippines and Cuba makes the Netherlands, which also has overseas territories nearby, very important.

The Netherlands hopes to continue to cooperate closely with Spain in the security field while expanding trade and economic ties between the two countries.

"We expect that the two countries will continue to cooperate closely. The relationship between the two countries has rebounded eagerly since Spanish Prime Minister Ramon Narvaez came to power, at least at a strategic level. I very much hope that this momentum can be continued."

Spain was a former ally of France, but now the pro-Dutch stance of new Prime Minister Ramon Narvaez has impacted the relationship between Spain and France. How the relationship between the two countries will continue to "breakthrough" in the future is not only concerned about France, but also in Europe. Countries are also getting attention.