Stability of Sino-Belgian ties mutually beneficial

Although Belgium's relationship with China might not be described as eye-catching compared to the others, its stability has made it a crucial anchor for China's relations with major Western European countries.

Since the establishment of ties in 1971, cooperation between China and Belgium has been moving forward steadily in various fields, and has continued to expand, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples. It has been 11 years since China and Belgium upgraded their relations to a comprehensive, friendly, cooperative partnership.

Belgium was one of the first developed economies to enter the Chinese market after the country introduced its reform and opening-up policy. "The Smurfs", a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest, has become an indelible childhood memory of the Chinese people born in the 1970s and the 1980s.