Chinese President Xi Jinping will host the China-CEEC Leaders Summit and deliver a keynote speech in Beijing on February 9.
The summit will be held by video.
This summit is the latest interaction between China and the 17 Central and Eastern European countries under the framework of China-CEEC Cooperation ("17+1 Cooperation"). What kind of multiplier effect the "17+1" will produce has attracted attention.
What is "17+1 cooperation"?
What are the 17 countries?
How to make "17+1" greater than 18, what kind of report card did they produce together?
We can quickly read "17+1 cooperation" through numbers.
A set of numbers "122345", count 17 countries
"17+1 Cooperation" is a cross-regional cooperation platform based on the common aspirations of China and Central and Eastern European countries.
In 2012, with the first China-CEEC Leaders’ Meeting held in Warsaw, Poland, China-CEEC cooperation was officially launched.
At that time, a total of 16 Central and Eastern European countries joined, also known as "16+1 cooperation."
With the addition of new member Greece in 2019, "16+1" will be expanded to "17+1".
What are the 17 countries?
We can use the number "122345" to better understand these 17 countries.
1-Greece, the cradle of European civilization: Greece
has a long history that gave birth to Western civilization. You can still find traces of ancient city-states in famous attractions such as the Acropolis and the Parthenon.
As the birthplace of the Olympic Movement, no matter which country hosts the Olympic Games, the flames of the opening ceremony must be collected from here.
Data map: On March 12, 2020 local time, the Tokyo Olympic flame collection ceremony was held at the Hera Temple in Olympia, Greece.
2-Two countries that mainly believe in Islam:
Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The main religion in Albania is Islam, and the main religions in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Islam, Orthodox Church and Catholicism.
2-Two pearls on the Black Sea:
Bulgaria and Romania.
Bulgaria is known as "God's Back Garden". It contributes one-third of the world’s rose oil production; its yogurt is world-renowned. It has taken the "17+1 cooperation" development express train. In recent years Enriched the taste buds of Chinese people.
Romania also has a good natural endowment. It is one of the few countries in Central and Eastern Europe that can directly produce natural gas and oil. What is less known is that its wine-making history has exceeded 4000 years, even longer than France. Called "the country of Bacchus the Bacchus".
3-The three Baltic brothers:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.
The combined population of the three countries is just over 6 million. The languages are mainly German and Polish. The three countries are inextricably linked due to historical reasons and call themselves "brotherly" countries.
Coincidentally, there is a "Three Brothers House" in the alley on the side of Rigadom Square in the capital of Latvia. They are well-known medieval houses in the Old City of Riga, named after the walls and the walls are closely attached to each other.
4-V4 Group:
Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
The V4 Group is the Visegrad Group, which started operation in 1991 and is a cultural and political alliance of nations.
Among them, the Sino-Czech Friendship Farm in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province is a testimony of Sino-Czech friendship; Poland has been China's largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe since 2005, and it is also an important node for the launch of China-Europe trains; Budapest, the capital of Hungary, A popular option for Chinese overseas travel, many airlines have opened direct flights between Chinese cities and Budapest.
Data map: Visitors learn about the changes of the Sino-Czech Friendship Farm at the China-Czech Friendship Museum.
Photo by Fu Xinchun
5-The 5 former Yugoslav countries:
Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Montenegro.
Among them, Croatia is a country that loves football. In the 2018 World Cup finals, although the Croatian team lost the game, the Grid Corps won the hearts of the people with the faith of fighting to the last minute.
Since the epidemic, the mutual support and help that the Chinese and Serbian people have shown in the face of the epidemic has interpreted "a thousand miles of assistance, the wind and rain are of one heart." The affectionate kiss freezes the highlight moment of China and Serbia working together to fight the epidemic.
A set of data, answer 17+1>18
China and Central and Eastern European countries are "old friends in history and new partners in reality."
"17+1 cooperation" is not a simple addition, but produces an effect far greater than 18.
In the past nine years, China and Central and Eastern European countries have delivered a brilliant report card.
More than 50 cooperation platforms
-the main activities of "17+1 Cooperation" are leaders' meetings, local leaders' meetings, and various activities in other fields.
In its ninth year, China-Central and Eastern Europe cooperation has formed a government-led and non-governmental participation model, covering multiple communication methods from central to local, from official to non-governmental, covering many fields.
At present, China-Central and Eastern European cooperation has established more than 50 cooperation platforms in more than 20 fields. Cooperation in specific fields such as tourism, agriculture, forestry, etc. has become institutionalized, and is called the most dynamic and representative One of the regional cooperation mechanisms.
212 pairs of friendly provinces and cities
-China and Central and Eastern European countries have established 212 pairs of friendly provinces and cities. In addition to government-level exchanges, non-governmental exchanges can also be noted.
For example, many of the childhood memories of "post-80s" and "post-90s" The Mole's Tale originated in Central and Eastern Europe. Serbian tennis superstar Djokovic, Croatian football player Modric and other Central European sports stars are in China It is also well-known, and the beautiful scenery of Central and Eastern Europe such as Budapest, Prague Square, and Vardar River has made the Chinese people yearn for.
Data map: Loading container cargo on China-Europe Express trains.
Photo by Chen Ming
The 12,000 China-Europe express trains
-China-Central and Eastern European countries cooperation is an important undertaking belt for the "Belt and Road" initiative to integrate into the European economic circle. The demand for increased connectivity between 17 countries and China has laid the foundation for practical cooperation between the two sides.
Important "17+1 cooperation" projects such as the Hungary-Serbia Railway, the Croatian Peljesac Bridge, and Serbia’s E763 highway not only facilitate the exchanges between countries, but also bring real benefits to the local people.
It is worth mentioning that the China-Europe Express trains are developing rapidly. In 2020, more than 12,000 trains will be launched, sending urgently needed anti-epidemic materials and daily necessities to Central and Eastern European countries, and also bringing abundant agricultural and sideline products to China. It has become the lifeline of anti-epidemic rescue and the supply line of the "Belt and Road".
US$100 billion
-Since its establishment, the "17+1 cooperation" has achieved more than 300 results.
These pragmatic cooperations have improved the resilience and flexibility of the "17+1 cooperation". Even in 2020, when the epidemic is shrouded in the haze, the trade volume between China and the 17 Central and Eastern European countries will rise against the trend, breaking through 100 billion US dollars, an increase of 8.4% year-on-year. The growth rate during the same period was more than 4 times that of China's overall foreign trade growth rate.
This report card full of dry goods shows that the cooperation mechanism between China and Central and Eastern European countries, which is approaching the 9th year of adhering to the core principles of pragmatic cooperation, is becoming more and more perfect and has become a new growth point for China-EU economic and trade cooperation.
It is foreseeable that in the future, while this mechanism will inject new momentum into the development of relations between China and Central and Eastern European countries, it will also continue to become an important engine for deepening China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.
Author: Xing Chong Li Jingze