China now Netherlands' largest high-tech product supplier

THE HAGUE -- China became the largest supplier of high-tech products to the Netherlands from 1996 to 2011, official data showed on Wednesday.

According to "Internationalization Monitor 2012", a report published by Dutch Central Statistics Bureau, Dutch companies bought high-tech products worth 96 billion euros ($126 billion) in 2011, accounting for 26 percent of the country's total imports.

Of that amount, products worth 17 billion euros came from China, making it the largest supplier, according to the report. Germany and the United States ranked second and third with 14 billion and 12 billion euros respectively.

Slightly more than half of Dutch imports from China were high-tech products, doubling the share in 1996. The share of low-tech products dropped, although the value of low-tech imports increased.

Laptops and tablet PCs are the most important high-tech imports from China with a value of 5 billion euros. Other major products include mobile phones, clothing and office equipment such as printers, copiers and computer monitors.