Local govt leaders of China, CEE to meet for co-op

A local government leadership conference between China, and central and eastern European (CEE) countries will be held between July 2 and 4 in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

Leaders of more than 50 provinces and cities of 16 CEE countries such as Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, as well as leaders of 17 provinces, municipalities and ministries of China will attend the conference.

The leaders will discuss ways to promote cooperation in fields such as economy and trade, culture, education and tourism, together with enterprise delegates.

Liu Haixing, director-general of the Department of European Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the conference demonstrates China's aspiration to deepen cooperation with CEE countries.

He added that the conference will help CEE countries to attract more Chinese investment, and expand export to China.

Top leadership of China and 16 CEE countries had their first meeting and made strategic decisions on cooperation in April, 2012. Since then, the two sides have made continuous progress in cooperation in multiple fields.