Taking advantage of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Belgium in 2026, Harbin has invited Belgium as the Guest of Honor for the 27th Harbin Ice and Snow World, and to erect the iconic Belgian statue "Manneken Pis" within the park, marking the beginning of a series of celebrations to mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Organized and arranged by the Harbin Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, a delegation led by Bart Vodderie, Deputy Chief of the Belgian Embassy in China and Minister-Counsellor, and Thomsen Olivier, Head of Global Industrial Developments of John Cockerill and Board Member of Cockerill Jingli Hydrogen, and Guoxiang Wang, General Manager of Cockerill Jingli Hydrogen, visited Harbin from January 5 to 8, 2026. They attended the opening ceremony of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, the opening ceremony of the 2026 Harbin International Ice and Snow Economic Expo, and the unveiling ceremony of the "Manneken Pis" ice sculpture, among other activities. Cockerill Jingli Hydrogen set up a booth at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Economic Expo.

On January 5th, Mian Li, member of the Standing Committee of the Harbin Municipal Committee and Deputy Mayor, held a working meeting with the Belgian Embassy in China and a delegation of enterprises. Bart Vodderie presented a certificate of appreciation to the Harbin Municipal People's Government, and the Beijing Office of the Walloon Region's General Administration for Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Harbin Municipal Foreign Affairs Office.

On the same day, the unveiling ceremony of the Belgian "Manneken Pis" ice sculpture, marking the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Belgium, was grandly held at the Harbin Ice and Snow World. Mian Li and Bart Vodderie jointly unveiled the ice sculpture.

On January 6th, the Belgian Embassy in China and a business delegation attended the opening ceremony of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Economic Expo. Thomsen Olivier, along with leaders from Heilongjiang Province and Harbin City, jointly launched the Harbin International Ice and Snow Economic Expo.

As one of the heavyweight international exhibitors at this year's Harbin International Ice and Snow Economic Expo, Cockerill Jingli Hydrogen boasts strong technical and capital support. Its parent company, John Cockerill, is a global industry giant in industrial equipment manufacturing and a leader in alkaline water electrolyzer hydrogen production technology, holding a 50% global market share in alkaline water electrolyzer hydrogen production, ranking first in the world. Cockerill Jingli Hydrogen provided core technology and hydrogen production service support for hydrogen-powered buses at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, becoming an important practical benchmark for green and low-carbon hosting of the Olympics. At the Harbin International Ice and Snow Economic Expo, Cockerill Jingli Hydrogen became the focus of many media outlets.