BEIJING, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- President of the European Council Charles Michel will visit China on Dec. 1 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Michel was born in 1975 in Namur, Belgium. He studied at the Free University of Brussels and later at the University of Amsterdam. With a master's degree in law, he once worked as a lawyer.
Michel entered Belgian politics at a young age, having served as member of the Walloon Brabant provincial council, vice chairman of the council, a minister in Walloon regional government, and member of the federal parliament.
From 2007 to 2011, Michel served as federal minister for development cooperation of Belgium. In January 2011, he was elected chair of the Reformist Movement of Belgium. From 2014 to 2019, Michel served as prime minister of the Belgian federal government. In July 2019, he was elected president of the European Council and officially took office in December. In June 2022, Michel was re-elected and will serve till November 2024.
He has a son and two daughters. ■