Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Belgian King Philippe in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
The Chinese president urged the two countries to deepen practical cooperation in areas such as high-end manufacturing, biomedicine, modern services and sustainable development, adding that the two sides should also consolidate people-to-people exchanges.
For his part, King Philippe hailed China as a great country, thanked China for attaching great importance to Belgium's status as the "heart of Europe" and described the bilateral cooperation as an example for China-Europe cooperation.
Noting that Belgium and China hold similar views on many major international issues, King Philippe said Belgium will work together with China to further advance the European integration process and safeguard world peace and development.
The Chinese president arrived in Switzerland on Sunday. Xi is the first Chinese head of state to attend the Davos meeting.
