China, CEEC to focus on intercommunication

China is ready to work with the 16 Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) to focus on advancing the development of intercommunication between Asia and Europe, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said in Prague on Thursday.

In a speech at the opening ceremony of the second China-CEEC local leaders meeting, Zhang said the two sides could take lead in building the railway between Hungary and Serbia, the Danube River Bridge in Belgrade and the Macedonia-Serbia superhighway, making these large-scale projects as showcases for strengthening cooperation on transport infrastructure development.

Zhang said Chinese President Xi Jinping has put forward the idea in his recent visit to Europe that China-Europe cooperation should be integrated with major inter-continent cooperation proposals such as the Silk Road Economic Belt.

Xi pointed out that to develop a large Euro-Asia market, efforts should be made to facilitate the exchange of persons, commodities, companies, capital and technology and enhance intercommunication of infrastructures so as to realize the maximum value of various production factors and add fresh impetus to the prosperity of the Euro-Asia continent.

Zhang said as a bridge connecting Asia and Europe, the Central and Eastern European countries enjoy outstanding geographical advantages.

He said China and these countries should fully use the transport platform of China-Europe regular trains to promote construction of exclusive tariff zones and logistic distribution centers along the railway in a bid to develop a new artery way for Asia-Europe logistics.

Zhang said the two sides could use the Mediterranean ports and the CEEC land transport network to open up new passages of combined transport by rail and sea between Asia and Europe.