Premier Li's visit to bring China and Europe closer

World
Europe

03:02

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit will further strengthen ties between China and Europe, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Chao said Wednesday during a press briefing.

On Tuesday, Geng Shuang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, announced that Premier Li will attend the 21st China-EU Summit to be held in Brussels and the 8th Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries in Croatia from April 8 to 12 at the invitation of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

Geng said Li will also pay an official visit to Croatia, the first by a Chinese premier.

"During Premier Li's stay in Brussels, he will hold talks with EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker. They will witness the signing of a series of agreements," said Wang.

Li's stay in Croatia will include much of the same, when he meets with leaders of 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, Wang added.

The Business & Innovation Center for China-Europe Cooperation in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. /VCG Photo

During Wednesday's press briefing, Wang cited statistics for China and Central and Eastern European countries under the framework of 16 CEE countries plus China, known as 16+1, to demonstrate the robustness of China-Europe business collaboration.

"The trade volume between China and these Eastern European countries surpassed 80 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, a year-on-year increase of over 20 percent. The numbers are very strong amid a slowdown in global economic growth. There are broad prospects for trade cooperation. The two sides will review achievements and plan a direction for further cooperation at the 16+1 summit," Wang said.

Premier Li's visit comes soon after Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visits to Italy, Monaco and France last month.

Both Xi and Li chose Europe as the destination of their first foreign visits this year. This, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, demonstrates China's attention to the continent and willingness to form cooperative relationships, either through bilateral ties or sub-regional relations.

Last December, China issued its third policy document toward the EU, showing its will to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership with the EU.

On March 18, during the ninth round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue in Brussels, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and senior EU officials also agreed that cooperation and consensus between both sides far outweigh competition and differences.

During his visits in late March, President Xi Jinping, together with leaders of France, Germany and the EU, sent a strong signal that China and the EU will strengthen strategic mutual trust and deepen cooperation.

All this will be highlighted in various agreements expected to be reached during the Chinese Premier's upcoming visit to Europe.

(CGTN's Zheng Yibing also contributed to the story.)