The Dutch police are to pool resources with fellow officers in China. The two police forces will exchange expertise in areas including people smuggling, financial and computer crime, corruption, and passport forgery.

Interior Minister Guusje ter Horst struck the deal on the police cooperation with her Chinese counterpart Meng Jianzhu during a visit to Beijing.

She says the exchange scheme will allow Dutch officers to learn more about Chinese culture, which will help them tackle Chinese organised crime in the Netherlands. At the same time, the Chinese will pick up tips on crime analysis from the Dutch. Ms Ter Horst says this is a Dutch police speciality.