BRUSSELS, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on Wednesday that no matter how the situation changes, Belgium is willing to remain a friend of China and will continue to deepen cooperation with China with a positive and constructive attitude.

Prevot made the remarks during his talks with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, stressing that China is the most important trading partner of Belgium and the high-quality development of bilateral ties has yielded fruitful outcomes.

For his part, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Belgium have maintained a relationship of mutual respect and trust, and established an all-round partnership of friendly cooperation, which serves as a pillar of stability in the China-EU relations.

Under the current circumstances, it is all the more important for China and the EU to strengthen face-to-face exchanges, enhance mutual trust, and dispel misunderstandings, Wang noted.

He expressed the hope that the new Belgian government will continue to build bridges of dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between China and the EU.

In addition, Wang said China is accelerating the development of a new pattern of high-level opening-up, with lower market access thresholds and more measures to facilitate personnel exchanges between China and Belgium.

Highlighting the fact that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, Wang noted that China supports the European integration and hopes that the EU will view China's development and revitalization in a positive and friendly way, and pursue a rational and pragmatic policy toward China.

In the face of a changing and turbulent international landscape, China looks forward to enhancing strategic communication and collaboration with the EU to jointly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, safeguard the international free trade system, and defend international fairness and justice.

In their talks, Prevot also expressed appreciation for China's visa-free policy for Belgian citizens and voiced hope for strengthening cultural and people-to-people exchanges with China.

Prevot reaffirmed Belgium's adherence to the one-China policy, stressing that Taiwan is part of China.

On EU-China ties, Prevot emphasized that amid the current complex and tense geopolitical situation, both the EU and China uphold multilateralism and safeguard international law, expressing the hope that the two sides will take the next EU-China leaders' meeting as an opportunity to enhance communication and cooperation to jointly address challenges.

The two leaders also exchanged views on hotspot issues of common concern. ■