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Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries

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China-CEEC
Membership
Establishment2012

Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEE, China-CEEC, also 16+1; from 2019 -2021 17+1) is an initiative by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote business and investment relations between China, officially known as the People's Republic of China (PRC) and 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE, CEEC): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.[1][2][3]

Format

The format was founded in 2012 in Budapest to push for cooperation of the "16+1" (the 16 CEE countries and PRC). In 2019 at Dubrovnik Summit Greece joined the grouping, while in 2021 Lithuania left it. The 16+1 meet annually; summits were held in Dubrovnik (2019), Sofia (2018), Budapest (2017), Riga (2016), Suzhou (2015), Belgrade (2014), Bucharest (2013) and Warsaw (2012). The China-CEE secretariat is in Beijing, with 16 "national coordinators" in each of the partner CEE countries.[4]

The format's goals are to promote the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and enhance cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, transportation and logistics, trade and investment".[5][6] These goals are supported by "growing ties in the areas of culture, education and tourism ... cultural exchanges, think tanks and NGOs."[5]

In March 2021, the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) reported that in February, the Lithuanian parliament agreed to leave what was previously China's 17+1 format. Foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the cooperation between Beijing and Lithuania has brought "almost no benefits".[7] At the same time, it was also reported that Lithuania would open a trade representative office in Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China (ROC) to boost unofficial relations with Taipei.[7][8][9]

Infrastructure, investment and trade

This includes (as of 2017) Serbia's E763 Highway project, the Budapest-Belgrade railway and the China-Europe land-sea express line. In Croatia, a Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) was contracted for the first phase of the construction of Pelješac Bridge and its access roads. In Poland, Chinese companies acquired Huta Stalowa Wola's civil engineering machinery division and KFLT Bearings Poland. According to China Customs' statistics, China's trade volume with CEEC totaled $67.98 billion in 2017, a 15.9 percent increase compared to that of 2016.[5] According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, in 2016 China-CEE trade increased to $58.7 billion (from $43.9 billion in 2010), while its investment in CEE countries has accumulated to more than $8 billion, covering industries such as machinery, chemical, telecom and new energy.[6]

From 2012 to 2017 six new direct flight routes between China and CEEC have been opened, the number of Chinese tourists visiting CEEC increased from 280,000 to 930,000, and the number of exchange students doubled as well[provide figures]. A China-CEEC Coordination Center for Cultural Cooperation was opened in North Macedonia. In China, the China-CEEC training center for young artists and China-CEEC Cultural and Creative Industries Exchanges and Cooperation Center were opened in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

Criticism

While China says the initiative is a ‘win–win’ cooperation for the countries involved and the EU, Jeremy Garlick, an assistant professor at the Prague University of Economics and Business, raised the view that China is pursuing an assertive strategy of ‘divide and conquer’ designed to benefit China at Europe's expense.[10][11][12]

Lithuania, in their National Threat Assessment 2019 report, said, "As Chinese economic and political ambitions grow in Lithuania and other NATO and EU countries, activities of the Chinese intelligence and security services become increasingly aggressive". Their February 2021 report was "accusing Beijing of trying to exploit the Covid pandemic to discredit perceived adversaries and improve its image".[13]

Issues of human rights in China

On 6 October 2020, a group of 39 countries, including 11 CEE countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia), and most other EU member states, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., Canada, Haiti, Honduras, and Japan, made a statement at the United Nations to denounce China for its treatment of ethnic minorities and for curtailing freedoms in Hong Kong.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Chinese '17+1' Initiative to Be Called '16+1' after Greece Joins Group". N1. April 13, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  2. ^ Introduction of the Secretariat for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries, on the china-ceec.org web (2013/11/20)
  3. ^ "Lithuania pulls out of China's '17+1′ bloc in Eastern Europe". POLITICO. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  4. ^ National Coordinators on the china-ceec.org web
  5. ^ a b c ‘16+1’ mechanism set to bolster China-Europe ties, on the china-ceec.org web (2018/07/10)
  6. ^ a b Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe: Promising Start, Doubtful Outlook, by Ágnes Szunomár, China-US Focus, December 6, 2017
  7. ^ a b "Lithuania mulls leaving China's 17+1 forum, expanding links with Taiwan". Lithuanian National Radio and Television. March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Sytas, Andrius (March 3, 2021). "Lithuania says will open trade representation office in Taiwan". Reuters. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Tiny Lithuania stands up to China as Europe freezes investment pact with Beijing". 23 May 2021.
  10. ^ China’s Economic Diplomacy in Central and Eastern Europe: A Case of Offensive Mercantilism?, by Jeremy Garlick, Europe-Asia Studies, online September 2019
  11. ^ European Commission, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2019-03-12). "EU-China – A strategic outlook" (PDF). {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ Cihelková, Eva; Nguyen, Hung Phuoc; Wožniaková, Mária; Straková, Radka (2017-06-30). "The EU-China Comprehensive Stategic Partnership in Context of EU General Concept of the 'Strategic Partnership'" (PDF). Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues. 6 (4): 729–744. doi:10.9770/jssi.2017.6.4(17).
  13. ^ "Tiny Lithuania stands up to China as Europe freezes investment pact with Beijing". Hindustan Times. 2021-05-23. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  14. ^ Heusgen, Christoph. "Statement by Ambassador Christoph Heusgen on behalf of 39 Countries in the Third Committee General Debate, October 6, 2020". Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.

Publications

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