The Communist Party of China (CPC) is expected to hold a 17+1 video summit of China-Central and Eastern European leaders on Feb. 9 to show the new U.S. administration that China works closely with the whole of Europe, but European media are reporting that at least two countries are planning to send ministers instead, snubbing Xi Jinping‘s invitation.
The China-Central and Eastern Europe leaders’ meeting began in 2012 and is held once a year. It is a mechanism for Beijing to meet with the leaders of 17 Central and Eastern European countries, also known as “17+1 cooperation”.
China is expected to hold a video summit on Feb. 9 this year due to the 2019 Covid-19 outbreak, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Feb. 5. China and CEE countries should strengthen their communication and cooperation. China and CEE countries should strengthen communication, reach consensus and plan future cooperation together.
But according to a Feb. 5 report on the Politico Europe news website, at least two countries, including Lithuania and Estonia, have cold-shouldered an invitation from Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and intend to send ministerial-level officials to the 17+1 instead.
The report noted that Lithuania has said neither the president nor the prime minister will attend, while Estonia will have its foreign minister attend the summit instead, and Latvia is finalizing the tier of participants. This raises questions about China’s ability to continue to attract the 17+1 countries as loyal members.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L9) attends the 8th China-Central and Eastern European Leaders’ Meeting in Dubrovnik, Croatia, April 12, 2019. (Xinhua)
Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are all members of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The article said that the Chinese Communist Party has not provided details related to the summit so far.
The 17 CEE countries include: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Recent Comments