China hopes that Belgium will play an active and constructive role within the European Union (EU) in facilitating the proper handling of EU-China economic and trade differences through dialogue and consultation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing on Thursday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while holding talks with Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prevot in Beijing.
Highlighting the China-Belgium all-round friendly cooperative partnership, Wang said the two sides share extensive common interests as they both advocate political settlement of disputes through dialogue and upholding international law.
China is willing to, together with Belgium, uphold mutual respect, seek common ground while managing differences, maintain close dialogue and communication, enhance mutual understanding and trust, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, deepen practical cooperation, and jointly elevate China-Belgium relations to a new level, Wang added.
The two sides exchanged views on international and regional hotspot issues of mutual concern. Wang expounded China's principled position, and Prevot appreciated China's efforts to help ease regional tensions and its commitment to resolving issues through dialogue, expressing Belgium's willingness to maintain close communication with China.
Stressing that Belgium-China ties are more important than ever, Prevot said Belgium firmly adheres to the one-China policy and abides by relevant UN resolutions.
On economic and trade issues, Prevot said Belgium does not agree with protectionism and is willing to strengthen communication and dialogue with China in a positive, open and constructive manner to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.
Prevot said Belgium is willing to uphold multilateralism, safeguard international law and play a positive role in promoting the healthy development of EU-China relations.
China eyes managing EU-China trade differences through dialogue, consultation
China's factory activity showed improving signs in August, driven by the continuous expansion of new growth drivers, notably in high-tech and equipment manufacturing.
The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector stood at 49.8 in August, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed on Monday.
The PMI for equipment manufacturing registered at 51.4, while the high-tech manufacturing PMI reached 52.9, both remaining firmly in the expansion territory above the 50-point threshold that separates growth from contraction.
These metrics signal sustained momentum in advanced manufacturing and underscore an accelerating structural upgrade across the broader industrial sector.
"The transition between old and new growth drivers in manufacturing is accelerating. New growth engines such as equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing are expanding at a notably faster pace than traditional sectors like basic raw materials and consumer goods, providing an increasingly strong anchor for macroeconomic growth," said He Hui, vice president of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
By enterprise size, large manufacturing enterprises recorded a PMI of 50.6 in August, up 1.1 percentage points from July, reflecting a marked improvement in operations. Medium-sized enterprises saw a modest pullback in the business climate level, while small enterprises posted a slight uptick in activity.
Meanwhile, influenced by upward movements in global crude oil and non-ferrous metal prices, the purchasing price index for major raw materials and the ex-factory price index for manufacturing stood at 56.6 and 50.4, respectively, up 3.4 percentage points and 2.6 percentage points from the previous month.
Analysts noted that the rebound in output prices should help manufacturers offset rising input costs and improve their profit margins.
"From an industry perspective, both price indexes for non-ferrous metal smelting and processing climbed above 60, reflecting significant increases in both raw material procurement costs and finished product selling prices," said Huo Lihui, a chief statistician of the National Bureau of Statistics.
Looking ahead, as the disruptive effects of summer heat and heavy rainfall fade, analysts expect the manufacturing sector to see further improvements in September with a significant rebound in traditional peak-season demand for automobiles, computers, consumer electronics, and textiles.
High-tech, equipment manufacturing drives improvement in China's August factory activity
