BRUSSELS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Sino-Belgian ties is a model for the cooperation between China and Europe, Chinese Ambassdor to Belgium Liao Liqiang said ahead of an official visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Brussels.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Liao said the Chinese premier's visit would enhance mutual political trust and promote pragmatic cooperation between China and Belgium.
China and Belgium are "good partners" in promoting cooperation between China and Europe, and the Sino-Belgian relations would become a model for the future Sino-European cooperation, he said.
During his stay in Brussels, Wen will meet with Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo to exchange views on Sino-Blegian ties, Sino-European relations and current major international issues.
The ambassador said that Belgium was one of the first Western European countries to establish diplomatic ties with China and one of the first developed countries in the West to invest in China.
Belgium was also among the first group of countries in the West to provide China with government loans, to export advanced technologies to China, and to set up industry cooperation fund in China, he said.
He said China and Belgium are enjoying sound relationships in the fields of mutual political trust, trade and economic cooperation and people-to-people exchange.
Data showed that trade between China and Belgium amounted to a record 29.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2011 despite the financial crisis in Europe. Currently, Belgium is the sixth largest trading partner of China within the 27-member European Union (EU), while China stands as the second largest trading partner of Belgium outside the EU.
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