A summit between China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries will provide an important opportunity for strengthening cooperation between the two sides, and between China and entire Europe as well.
The fourth leaders' meeting between China and 16 CEE countries is to open on Tuesday in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, the first time for China to host such a meeting.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and leaders from the CEE countries will attend the two-day meeting, the most important schedule within the framework of China-CEE cooperation this year.
FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
The "16+1" meeting mechanism, launched in 2012, has helped deepen traditional friendship, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation and promote China-Europe relations.
At the meeting in Suzhou, Li and leaders of CEE countries are expected to discuss how to further promote common development and all-win cooperation.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Li will attend a "16+1" round-table meeting and a trade and economic forum.
The summit this year, themed "New Beginning, New Fields, New Vision," will be meaningful to the sustained, balanced and in-depth relationship between China and Europe, and lay a firm foundation for future development.
As it is the first time for China to host the China-CEE leaders' meeting, the "new beginning" means that both sides will enter an important period to inherit the past and usher in the future.
China and CEE countries are expected to adopt new measures and expand new fields for their cooperation in inter-connectivity, investment and trade, finance, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges, to name a few.
They will also plan a new vision of development in the next five years to strengthen top-level design for their cooperation, with some outcome documents to be released after the meeting.
Thanks to the increasingly mature mechanism and emerging platforms, China-CEE cooperation has expanded into new areas and produced greater results.
In the opinion of Slovak Economy Minister Vazil Hudak, the meeting will improve understanding and better communication between CEE countries and China.
"The whole region could be interested in larger infrastructure projects like communication, transport or some energy infrastructure between these countries, meaning gas pipelines. It pushes these countries to work together on important and perspective projects," he said.
On the strategic significance of the China-CEE leaders' meeting, Sanja Vasic, director of the Center for International Economic Relations of the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce, said the mechanism can help narrow the development gap between Eastern and Western Europe and enhance links between Europe and China.
