Belgium King Philippe visited the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and witnessed the signing of several China-Belgium cooperation agreements on science and technology development.

A workshop on China-Belgium science and innovation partnership was held at the Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, on Wednesday, attended by King Philippe and 50-member delegation, including Belgian government officials and professors and experts from research institutes.

King Philippe delivered a speech and stressed the importance of cross-boundary science and technology cooperation. He said that China-Belgium ties will help solve major global problems and contribute to the progress of human civilization.

CAS President Bai Chunli appreciated Belgium's advanced technology in micro-electronics, biomedicine, energy efficiency and environmental protection and agriculture, and said that these fields have been the areas that the most bilateral cooperation was conducted. He also expects more China-Belgium cooperation in science and technology to create "science without boundaries".

Chinese and Belgian research institutes signed seven agreements that cover a wide range of research fields from space science to social sciences.

King Philippe and his wife Queen Mathilde arrived in China on Saturday starting a weeklong State visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. This is the king's ninth visit to China, the first taking place almost 30 years ago, according to Belgium media outlets.