Belgian King Albert II visited Shanghai on Thursday and vowed to promote trade and economic ties with the city during a meeting with Shanghai mayor.

King Albert II told Mayor Han Zheng that Shanghai has built great ports and information technology systems since his last visit 12 years ago.

He said that he hopes the visit will promote bilateral relations in economy, politics, education and many other sectors.

Trade between Shanghai and Belgium topped 1.75 billion US dollars in 2004, up 57 percent year-on-year, according to official figures from the Chinese side.

The king attended a Sino-Belgian economic and trade cooperation forum and visited the Shanghai Museum, which is best known for its collection of ancient Chinese bronze relics.

King Albert II began his state visit to China on Saturday in Beijing. He met with Chinese President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao during his stay in Beijing.

Besides Beijing and Shanghai, the king has also visited Xi'an, capital of the northwestern province of Shaanxi, and will continue his China tour in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

China and Belgium established diplomatic relations in 1971. The Sino-Belgian trade surged about 450 percent between 1971 and 2004 to hit 9.38 billion US dollars last year, while the contractual investment of Belgian companies in China reached 1.22 billion dollars in 2004.

Source: Xinhua