Chinese premier meets Belgium's King Philippe

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with King Philippe of Belgium Wednesday.

Praising the strength of China-Belgium ties, Li said China will work with the European country to increase political mutual trust and deepen cooperation in key areas, including trade and investment.

He proposed to combine China's comparative advantages in industrial capacity and equipment manufacturing with Belgium's advanced technology, and called on the two sides to jointly explore third-party markets.

The 17th China-EU Summit is approaching, noted Li, saying that China attaches great importance to relations with the EU.

Li will attend the meeting later this month in Brussels, the first since the change of EU leadership.

China has long supported the European integration process and is pleased to see a prosperous Europe, a united European Union and a strong euro, he said.

As the Greek debt issue faces a critical moment, China would like to see Greece remain in the Eurozone, said Li, noting that China appreciates the efforts of the parties concerned and hopes that talks can produce successful results.

China stands ready to work with the EU to inject new impetus to China-EU relations, he said.

King Philippe said Belgium values its friendly relations with China and will increase cooperation with China in trade, investment, technology and regarding small and medium-sized enterprises and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Belgium will engage with China concerning major initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and international industrial cooperation, he vowed.

Belgium appreciates China's commitment to supporting European integration and the Eurozone, the king said, adding that Belgium is committed to strengthening EU-China relations.

King Philippe arrived in China Saturday night for a week-long state visit at Xi's invitation. It is his first state visit overseas since he was crowned in July 2013. Endi