BUDAPEST, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday proposed five initiatives to further advance 16+1 cooperation while addressing the sixth meeting of heads of government of China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries in Budapest, Hungary.
Li said the key to the fast development of the 16+1 cooperation is to apply the principle of equality and consultation, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness, and innovation.
The 16+1 cooperation is not a geopolitical tool, but an incubator for pragmatic trans-regional cooperation, said Li, adding that the cooperation is conducive to the balanced development of China-EU relations.
He proposed five initiatives to further promote cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC).
First, he called on the two sides to expand economic and trade scale, and boost trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.
Second, he encouraged the countries to promote major projects on connectivity, promoting links through land, sea, air and Internet.
Third, the premier suggested that the two sides can probe into cooperation modes such as industrial parks in the areas of production capacity, energy, logistics and agriculture.
Fourth, Li called for strong financial support for the 16+1 cooperation, such as the establishment of China-CEEC Inter-Bank Association and the second phase of China-Central and Eastern Europe Investment Cooperation Fund.
Fifth, he called on countries to conduct more cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Stressing that the 16+1 cooperation does not mean to add up the 16 bilateral ties simply, Li said he believed that with the joint efforts of the 17 countries, the 16+1 cooperation will yield more results and reach a new level.
