Chinese, Belgian companies unite to counter economic woes

BRUSSELS, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Belgian companies joined forces on Friday to fight the economic crisis through the creation of more business opportunities.

Business people from China and Belgium have come face to face here to meet, talk and explore the potential for cooperation.

Li Xiaorong, an overseas Chinese working for a Belgian pharmaceutical company, came looking for a Chinese partner who maybe interested in her company's new products for wound healing.

"It is desirable for Chinese companies to come here for direct talks. We are a high-tech but medium-sized company. Sometimes it is difficult and simply expensive for us to establish contacts in China by going there," she said in Chinese.

Li said her company regarded China as a market with huge potential, so she was appointed the manager for business in China because of her ethnic background.

Looking through a name list of Chinese participants, Li found an interesting target, a Beijing hospital. Talks went well and they agreed to go into details later on.

The match-making event was part of the Belgium-China Economic and Trade Forum, which was held in Brussels Friday and brought together more than 300 people from Chinese and Belgian companies.

The forum was witnessed by visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who called for closer cooperation between China and Belgium in his opening address.

Xi said the development of cooperation between China and Belgium had brought tangible benefits to the two countries.