HISTORY AND PROSPECTS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN CHINA AND COUNTRIES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

LIU Zuokui (Director and researcher of the CEE Research Office of the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Secretary General of the China-CEEC Think Tank Exchange and Cooperation Network, Beijing, China), liuzk@cass.org.cn

The cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries aims to promote both the development of China-EU relations and the construction of the “Belt and Road”, and has gone through various development periods such as the initiation period, the golden period and the deep-water period. During different historical periods, China and Central and Eastern European countries have made positive progress in cooperation, but as the internal and external pressure increases, there is the need to further tap into the potential of bilateral cooperation. By releasing comprehensive reforms China has to free itself for more development benefits, while maintaining good China-EU relations and deepening practical cooperation in various fields, addressing in a timely manner the challenges and problems cooperation faces and promoting cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries in order to achieve long-term, stable and sustainable development.

Keywords: China-CEEC cooperation, “17+1 cooperation”, China-EU relations, “Belt and Road” Initiative