A match-making session for Hangzhou entrepreneurs and officials from 26 countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was held in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on Sept 5.

This year's match-making sessions featured 15 ambassadors and consul-generals from Croatia, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, Portugal and Switzerland, and 70 local private businesspeople.

The event, which was first held in 2015, has gathered more than 150 foreign officials and nearly 500 local entrepreneurs since its inception.

Pan Jiawei, chairman of the Hangzhou municipal political consultative conference, expressed hope that the event can set the stage for sustained cooperation and communication and enhance mutual trust between Hangzhou and foreign countries.

Hangzhou has in recent years been closely following the BRI and accelerated cooperative efforts in areas such as economy and trade, e-commerce, investment, culture and tourism, medical treatment and public health.