Interview: Chinese FDI presents opportunity for Belgian firms: industry expert

China's outbound foreign direct investment (FDI) should not be seen as a threat but an opportunity for Chinese and Belgian companies, said Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Economic and Commercial Council (BCECC).

"China's FDI gives opportunities to Belgian companies to develop and increase their business in Europe as well as in China," Dewit told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Thursday.

"More business delegations should be encouraged in both countries. Small and medium-sized companies should be helped by the authorities of respective countries to go abroad and gain a better knowledge of each other's market," added Dewit.

On the Belt and Road Initiative, Dewit said the project could provide many cooperation opportunities in the field of economy and culture.

"More and more small and medium-sized companies from both counties should get in touch through that initiative and new business initiatives should arrive from these contacts. Belgium and its regions are making efforts to attract more Chinese companies and investments to our country. This is made easier by the open character of our economy," said Dewit.

The year 2016 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Belgium. The two countries held a series of events to celebrate it this year.

The "Sino-Belgian relations are excellent," said Dewit, adding that as Belgium has played a key role in the EU institutions due to the fact that it is hosting important institutions such as the EU Commission, the country has always been paying much attention to the relations between Europe and China and pushing for smooth EU-China ties.

He added, "More and more Belgian citizens have a better knowledge about China due to the fact that more high schools are organizing Chinese language courses, due to the presence of several Confucius Institutes in the country."

In order to have better mutual trust between China and Belgium, "you need to know each other better. So initiatives to make Belgium better known in China and to make China better known in Belgium should be encouraged," stressed Dewit.

Dewit feel the changes in China over the last 20 years are "impressive." Cities are bustling and poverty has been dramatically reduced, he observed.

"What impressed me most was the constant goal of Chinese authorities to open more of their country and provinces to the outside world in trade, financial, economic and culture aspects. The improvement of the role of the law is noticeable and appreciated by many foreign investors," said Dewit.

He said he also appreciated the positive attitude of China at the Paris climate conference (COP21), when it acted to better protect environment. Endit