China-CEEC cooperation bears fruit, Xi says

The China-Europe Railway Express has reached most of the CEE countries, running more than 30,000 freight services so far, Xi said.

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, China-Europe freight trains have been playing a crucial role in supporting Europe's anti-epidemic fight by opening "green passages" for the transport of important supplies and raw materials.

"With its focus on real results, China-CEEC cooperation has served the purpose of supporting our respective development and bettering the lives of our people," Xi said, noting that impressive progress has been made in a number of cooperation projects, including the Port of Piraeus in Greece, the Smederevo steel plant in Serbia and the Peljesac Bridge in Croatia.

The president announced that in the coming five years, China intends to import more than $170 billion in goods from CEE countries, double CEE countries' agricultural exports to China and raise two-way agricultural trade by 50 percent.

Platforms like the China International Import Expo and the China-CEEC Expo would be better leveraged for China to import more goods from CEE countries, he said.

China and CEE countries share the conviction that openness brings opportunities and inclusiveness ensures diversity, Xi said, and this is the key to the sustained vibrancy of China-CEEC cooperation.

"We have followed widely accepted international rules, conformed to market principles and respected EU standards in our cooperation," he said, referring to the European Union. Xi added that China also welcomes the participation of other countries and international organizations in China-CEEC cooperation.

The president called on China and CEE countries to focus on green development and forge drivers of future-oriented cooperation.

China and CEE countries need to steadfastly advance international cooperation on climate change and jointly implement the Paris Agreement, he said.