On the picture Dr Qu Xing and Didier Reynders.
Thursday, 28 September 2018, Embassy of the PRC to the Kingdom of Belgium: The People’s Republic of China’s bilateral ambassador to Belgium, Dr. Qu Xing, hosted a traditional Chinese reception to mark 45 years of diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Belgium as well as the 67th anniversary of the foundation of the PRC.
Special guest and key speaker was Belgium’s Vice-Premier Didier Reynders, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Former Speaker of the Federal Parliament and erstwhile Minister of Defence, André Flahaut as well as a plethora of Belgian officials and ambassadors accredited to Belgium were in attendance as were representative of Chinese media with bureaux in Brussels such as Xinhua, the Beijing Daily or Phoenix News.
Officially diplomatic relations began on 25 October 1971, although the late Queen Dowager Elisabeth of Belgium paid an unofficial eye-brow raising visit to the PRC in 1961 with the support of the civilian organisation Belgium-China Association.
Between 20-28 June 2015, The VII King of the Belgians and his Queen Mathilde paid a state visit to the PRC with stopovers in Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Shenzhen. The visit was arranged one year after President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan were on a state visit in Belgium.
For further information:
Allocution of HE Ambassador Dr. Qu Xing: http://be.china-embassy.org/eng/sghd/t1402770.htm
Belgium-China Association: http://www.belchin.be/qui-sommes-nous/historique/
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Photography by didierreynders-be.
