China and Belgium Wednesday pledged to reinforce political dialogue, reiterating their political will to further activate and enrich bilateral ties in a wide range of fields.

The pledge was contained in a joint declaration issued after the talks between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.

The declaration on reinforcing political dialogue, first of its kind ever issued by China and a foreign country, listed various approaches to enhancing the dialogue.

The two sides agreed that foreign ministers or other cabinet ministers from both countries should exchange visit at least once a year.

Meetings will be arranged for Chinese and Belgian foreign ministers on occasions like the General Assembly of the United Nations and other international arena, said the declaration.

The two sides also agreed to keep the momentum of exchanging high-level visits and arrange meetings between heads of state or government of the two countries.

The two sides also signed the Articles of Association of China-Belgium Equity Investment Fund(AACBEIF), a fund aiming to encourage the investment of small and medium -sized Belgian firms in China.

Speaking at the press conference after the talks, Wen said his visit to Belgium marks three "firsts".

The visit is his first tour to Belgium after he took the office as Chinese Premier; the joint declaration on reinforcing political dialogue is the first of its kind China has signed with a foreign country; and the AACBEIF is the first of its kind the Chinese side has ever signed with a foreign country.

The premier also said although the China-Belgium trade volume hit 6.7 billion US dollars last year, the potential for bilateral economic cooperation is still great for their bilateral trade volume is merely 5 percent of Belgium's total trade.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2004)