DUBROVNIK, Croatia, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The following is the full text of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's speech at the eighth summit of heads of government of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) on Friday.

Speech by H.E. Li Keqiang

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

At the Eighth Summit of Heads of Government of China and Central and Eastern European Countries

Dubrovnik, 12 April 2019

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic,

Colleagues,

It gives me great pleasure to join you in Dubrovnik, known as the Pearl of the Adriatic. Let me first express, on behalf of the Chinese government, sincere appreciation to the host country Croatia and Prime Minister Plenkovic for the thoughtful preparations and arrangements made for the summit. I wish to welcome Greece joining as a full-fledged participant of China-CEEC cooperation, and welcome Austria, Belarus, the European Union, Switzerland and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to the summit as observers.

China-EU relations are now showing a good momentum. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping paid a successful visit to three European countries, lending fresh impetus to deepening China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. Thanks to the joint efforts of all parties involved, 16+1 cooperation, as an important component of overall China-Europe relations, has steadily moved forward and evolved into an open and inclusive platform for cross-regional cooperation of mutual benefit. It has played a positive role in boosting the economic growth of participating countries, improving their people's wellbeing and advancing China-Europe relations as a whole.

New and encouraging progress was made in China-CEEC cooperation last year. Trade between China and the CEE countries saw substantial growth. Landmark projects such as the Budapest-Belgrade railway and the Peljesac Bridge in Croatia made new progress. The Mozura wind farm, a Montenegro-China-Malta trilateral project, is well underway. A new China-Europe freight train service was launched from Mannheim to Chongqing via Poland. Over 1.4 million visits were made by Chinese tourists to the CEE countries, and people from the CEE countries made 350,000 trips to China. Cooperation in other areas saw similar growth, and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been moving forward smoothly.

China-CEEC cooperation is a good example of cross-regional and multilateral cooperation in the era of globalization. It builds on the economic similarity and complementarity of the participating countries, and is consistent with the trend of economic globalization and free trade. Cooperation platforms like this abound in the world. Our cooperation, which is results-oriented, meets the development needs of all participating countries.

In pursuing China-CEEC cooperation, we have established a framework with the CEE countries in the driver's seat. We have followed the principle of mutual respect and equality, been sensitive to each other's major concerns, and taken into full account the realities of the countries concerned in making cooperation plans and identifying projects. This approach has helped ensure that our cooperation truly delivers, and as a result, the China-CEEC framework has attracted wide participation and strong support.

Embracing the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, we have adhered to internationally recognized rules, including those of the WTO and followed EU laws and regulations in China-CEEC cooperation, and respected the responsibilities and obligations of the CEE countries which are also EU members.

In pursuing China-CEEC cooperation, we have given equal importance to trade and investment, and advanced economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges in parallel. The China-CEEC cooperation has promoted the common development of all participating countries, and contributed to more balanced development in Europe and European integration, providing an important underpinning for all-round cooperation between China and Europe. (More)

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