Li Jun (fourth from left), mayor of Jiaxing, met with Bruno Jans, consul general of Belgium in Shanghai on March 15 in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/jiaxingren.com]

Li Jun, mayor of Jiaxing, met with Bruno Jans, consul general of Belgium in Shanghai on March 15 in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province.

The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in economy, trade, culture and tourism.

Li said that Jiaxing has many tourist attractions and a rich culture as the birthplace of the Communist Party of China and the "Red Boat Spirit", boasts a favorable location in the Yangtze River Delta, and is a hub of high-quality foreign capital in Zhejiang with broad cooperation prospects with Belgium in trade, investment, culture and tourism.

Jans said that Belgium and Jiaxing have a strong foundation for cooperation and have achieved fruitful cooperation results over the years. Jans also said he saw the potential for Belgian companies to invest and develop in Jiaxing.

Jans added that the consulate general of Belgium in Shanghai will promote Jiaxing, encourage more Belgian enterprises to invest in Jiaxing and explore more cooperation possibilities.

So far, a total of 15 Belgian companies have invested over $59 million in Jiaxing. Last year, 749 enterprises in Jiaxing traded with Belgium, with the total trade value of 3.3 billion yuan ($478 billion), up 19.7 percent year-on-year.