ONE of Europe's smallest and most densely populated countries, the Netherlands is known for its picturesque landscape, windmills, wooden clogs, tulips as well as liberal views on issues, be it business, political or social.
While many Malaysians have cycled through the streets of metropolitan Amsterdam, visited the “bulb fields” all over the Randstad and admired the architecture of Rotterdam, not many realise that the tiny country is one of the European Union's most dynamic centres of trade and industry and that its economy ranks sixth in the EU and 15th in the world. Or, that Dutch universities and higher education institutions cater a great deal for the international market, with 650-odd international courses taught entirely in English and more than 13,000 foreign students.
