Chinese President Xi Jinping was greeted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima as he arrived in the Netherlands for the start of his first European trip since coming to power.

He and wife Peng Liyuan will visit France, Germany and Belgium on a tour expected to be dominated by trade.

A 200-strong business delegation will accompany the president as he meets some of China’s most important export partners after a year of trade tensions.

Fresh from meeting Michelle Obama in Beijing, Xi Jinping is due to hold talks with US President Barack Obama during the course of his visit.

Western powers are likely to put the Chinese leader under pressure to be firmer with Russia over its actions in Ukraine and Crimea.

He will also attend a summit on atomic security at The Hague, where world leaders are expected to call for more action to minimise civilian use of highly-enriched nuclear fuel.