Vice-President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China recently visited Belgium, and was welcomed by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, H.R.H. Prince Philip of Belgium, Minister of Economy and Enterprise Vincent Van Quickenborne and the Board of Directors of Antwerp World Diamond Centre and HRD Antwerp. The trip of Vice-President Xi Jinping pursued building relations between Belgium and China.

H.E. Jinping visited the AWDC Diamond Office, the HRD Antwerp – Diamond Lab. “This visit underscores the importance of the Antwerp diamond sector for China. Diamond exports to China reached a record high in the first half of 2009. While the international diamond market is facing a sluggish demand, China has a strong domestic consumption, especially in the wedding market, reaching a record high of USD300 million in the first half of 2009. This represents an increase of 12.7 percent compared to the same period of 2008. China has become the world’s third largest diamond consumption market. The exports of polished diamond from Antwerp to China have increased by 34,23 percent in carat volume in September 2009, compared to September 2008. We therefore want to enhance and stimulate further the diamond trade and enforce a common ‘diamond culture’ between both diamond centres”, explains Freddy J. Hanard, CEO of Antwerp World Diamond Centre.

As a memoir of the visit, H.E. Jinping was presented a two carat diamond embedding a laser inscribed Chinese flag on the table. The diamond is an HRD Antwerp certified ‘Blue Flame’, a new Antwerp designed diamond cut for Tesiro and launched in Antwerp in January 2009. HRD Antwerp offered its very first HRD Antwerp jewellery reports, with two exceptional diamond jewellery pieces. One piece - a China-flag pin, incrusted with five diamonds estimated at a total of 3.05 ct, representing the five stars of the Chinese flag, and 60 rubies symbolising the 60th anniversary of the PR of China, was offered to H.E. Jinping. The second piece - a gold necklace featuring a solitaire 1ct brilliant cut diamond, was offered to H.R.H. Prince Philip of Belgium.