Relationship dossier
Belgium
People's Republic of China
Relationship assessment
High-level partnership and bilateral engagement coexist with human-rights and EU-related tensions.
Belgium toward People's Republic of China
+15Belgium has engaged China through the bilateral partnership upgraded during Xi Jinping’s 2014 state visit. Belgium’s approach is also shaped by EU policy, including the EU’s 2021 measures concerning Xinjiang, which contributed to tensions with Beijing.
People's Republic of China toward Belgium
+15China has pursued high-level engagement with Belgium, including Xi Jinping’s 2014 state visit and the associated upgrade of bilateral relations. China’s retaliatory sanctions on European figures after the EU’s 2021 Xinjiang measures also affected the political climate in Belgium.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship combines an established framework for high-level bilateral engagement with recurring political friction. The 2014 partnership upgrade is a notable cooperative feature; disagreement over human rights and China’s response to EU measures has constrained relations. Belgium’s EU membership links its China policy to wider European positions.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Belgium and China have pursued high-level bilateral engagement, including a 2014 state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping and an upgraded partnership. Relations also face friction over human rights and China’s response to EU measures concerning Xinjiang. Belgium’s policies are partly shaped by its EU membership, while the scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation are not fully clear.
Areas of tension
- Human-rights concerns related to Xinjiang and China’s response to EU measures.
- Differences over the balance between bilateral engagement and common EU policy toward China.
Key developments
Xi Jinping made a state visit to Belgium, during which the countries upgraded their bilateral partnership.
The EU imposed measures related to Xinjiang, and China responded with sanctions on European figures, contributing to political tension affecting Belgium.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent to which Belgium’s policy toward China differs from common EU positions is uncertain.