The Summit of China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) will bring new opportunities for cooperation during these difficult times, Czech President Milos Zeman told Xinhua in a written interview on Monday.
The Czech Republic views the cooperation mechanism between China and CEEC as "another level of bilateral cooperation" with China, as well as a supplement to the strategic partnership between the European Union and China, said Zeman.
"At this year's summit, I will focus on specific outcomes of cooperation and on reaching tangible results in areas of our common interest," said Zeman, adding that his country emphasizes practical, open and flexible cooperation.
The president said he has been a long-term supporter of free global trade and removing trade barriers. Any platform that contributes to simplifying global supply chain is welcome, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism, he said.
"The situation that we face today requires the whole world to communicate and cooperate and any kind of international cooperation is needed more than usual," Zeman added.
Czech President Milos Zeman gestures in Vienna, Austria, April 3, 2019. /Reuters
Applauding the great achievements accomplished in bilateral cooperation in recent years, Zeman also expressed his hope that China will continue opening its market to Czech companies and products in areas such as auto, finance, agriculture and food, aviation and health care. "I am convinced it will lead to a win-win cooperation," he said.
In terms of cooperation between the Czech Republic and China against the COVID-19 pandemic, Zeman noted that "we appreciate the help China provided to the Czech Republic at the beginning of the pandemic. China proved to be a true friend to our nation."
Zeman also said that he has been closely following the progress of the production of China's COVID-19 vaccines. "I believe that the path of international cooperation, information sharing and universal use of vaccines leads to our common goal — defeat of this invisible enemy of ours," he said.
Proposed by China, the China-CEEC Summit was held via video link on Tuesday and attended by leaders or high-level representatives of CEEC, as well as representatives of China-CEEC cooperation observers.