China is playing an increasingly important role in the world and Belgian entrepreneurs should try harder to make friends with Chinese and explore the Chinese market, Belgian officials said at a business forum in Gent Tuesday.

Belgium-China economic exchanges have increased steadily over the past decade, and bilateral cooperation is now important for both countries, said Fientje Moerman, minister for economy, enterprise, science, innovation and foreign trade of Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions and the strongest one in terms of economy.

Moerman made the comment at the China Business Forum in Gent, capital of the East Flanders Province. The forum was held on the sidelines of a nine-day international exposition here, which has invited China as the guest country this year.

East Flanders Governor Andre Denys joined Moerman in calling on more Belgian entrepreneurs to do business in China, saying that Belgian businessmen should abandon their conservative thinking, if any, to reach out to their Chinese counterparts.

Chinese ambassador to Belgium Zhang Qiyue said China and Belgium are complementary in economy, with great potential to further strengthen business ties.

China has honored the commitments it made while joining the World Trade Organization, and the Chinese government has done a lot to improve the investment environment, she said.

More than 200 entrepreneurs and government officials attended the forum, during which one-on-one business-matching meetings were organized for potential business partners from the two countries.

Source: Xinhua