ANKARA 

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday praised the Belgian prime minister for speaking out against "decoupling and disconnection" and said Beijing always regards Europe as its partner. 

President Xi met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who arrived in Beijing on his two-day official visit on Thursday.

During the meeting, Xi said China welcomes Belgian companies to invest and operate in his country and hoped that Europe will also provide a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.

“Facing the turbulent international situation, more ‘bridges’ need to be built between China and Europe,” Xi said, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

He also expressed Chinese willingness to work with the EU to promote steady progress in China-EU relations in the new year and hoped that Belgium, as the rotating EU presidency, would play an active role in this regard.

Premier De Croo assured Xi that Belgium will continue to adhere to the one-China policy and is willing to have a candid dialogue with Beijing to further develop bilateral relations in political, economic, and other fields.

“Belgium opposes ‘decoupling and breaking links,’ welcomes Chinese companies to cooperate in Belgium, and hopes to strengthen personnel exchanges and cultural exchanges with China,” he said.

He added that the world needs China and Europe to work together as partners and strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas such as promoting world economic growth, coping with climate change, and building a more stable world.

Earlier, De Croo also held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and said they also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Li Qiang in Beijing to discuss our common challenges, like climate change, defending a rules-based international order or preventing future pandemics. We also addressed Russia’s war against Ukraine and its global consequences,” he wrote on X.

*Islamuddin Sajid