Central and Eastern European Countries and China 16+1 Framework

The 16+1 framework is an initiative by the People’s Republic of China aimed at intensifying and expanding cooperation with 11 EU Member States and 5 Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) in the fields of investments, transport, finance, science, education, and culture. In the framework of the initiative, China has defined three potential priority areas for economic cooperation: infrastructure, high technologies, and green technologies.

On 24 November 2015, the 4th Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries was held in Suzhou.

On the morning of November 25, 2015, Premier Li Keqiang invited the leaders of the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) who were in China for the 4th Summit of China and the CEEC to take the Chinese high-speed train together.

The first 16+1 Summit was held in Warsaw, Poland, in 2012. At the event, the Prime Minister of China announced a comprehensive initiative on cooperation with 16 Central and Eastern European countries, entitled China’s Twelve Measures for Promoting Friendly Cooperation with Central and Eastern European Countries, which is the framework document for the 16+1 cooperation.

The earlier Summits have taken place in Warsaw, Poland (2012); Bucharest, Romania (2013); Belgrade, Serbia (2014); Suzhou, China (2015) and Riga, Latvia (2016). The 2017 Summit is to be held in Budapest, Hungary.

Useful links:

The Riga Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries

The Medium-Term Agenda for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries

The Suzhou Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries

The Belgrade Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries

Secretariat for Cooperation between China and CEEC

The 16+1 Framework and Economic Relations Between China and the Central and Eastern European Countries

Central and Eastern Europe Regional Tourism Centre