Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt met in Brussels on Thursday with visiting Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, vowing to boost the relations between China and Belgium.

 

During the meeting, Zeng lauded the smooth development of the bilateral relations, according to Chinese diplomats.

 

Zeng said this year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Belgium, and the bilateral ties have witnessed "satisfactory" development.

 

The vice premier noted that the bilateral cooperation has been deepened in a wide range of fields like trade and economic cooperation, investment, finance, environment protection, culture and education.

 

The Chinese side was willing to join hands with the Belgian side to elevate and expand cooperation in various fields like telecommunications, nuclear energy, bio-pharmacy and logistics, said Zeng.

 

Zeng also spoke highly of the Belgian government's adherence to the one-China policy.

 

Zeng said China has always attached great importance to Belgium, and China takes Belgium as a vital cooperation partner within the European Union (EU).

 

China was willing to join hands with EU member states including Belgium, to promote the China-EU ties into a higher level, he added.

 

Guy Verhofstadt, on his part, also spoke highly of the marked achievements Belgium and China had scored in various fields like politics, trade and economic cooperation, according to Chinese diplomats.

 

He said Belgium values its relations with China, extending the hope for continuing high-level dialogue as well as for boosting the bilateral cooperation in an all-around manner.

 

After the meeting, the two sides signed two pacts, one on nuclear technology cooperation, and the other on strategic investment cooperation.

 

Zeng arrived in Brussels on Thursday afternoon for a four-day official visit.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2006)