Central, Eastern European parties support B& R

Leaders hail exchanges under Belt and Road initiative at China- CEE dialogue

Some party leaders from Central and Eastern European ( CEE) countries expressed willingness to cooperate with China on the Belt and Road ( B& R) initiative and promote China- Europe ties in Bucharest, capital of Romania, the Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.

“China is a trusted ally of Europe, and I believe Central and Eastern European countries are a gateway to economic and commercial cooperation between the two continents that have two important pillars: China and the European Union ( EU),” said the chairman of Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, at the China- CEE dialogue of political parties on Friday.

He hailed the contact between the EU and China under the B& R initiative, and believed both sides will come together on projects of mutual interest.

Jan Hamacek, speaker of the Czech Parliament and deputy chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party, took pride in the fact that the Czech Republic has become a leader in spearheading the B& R initiative in the region.

“Last year in Riga, we signed the Action Plan for Cooperation under the framework of the B& R initiative. Now we are about to launch the Czech- Chinese Center for Cooperation, the first center of its kind established in the region,” Hamacek said, noting that this is a great example of peaceful cooperation among nations.

The Czech Republic is keen to further deepen cooperation between China and the 16 CEE countries as well as actively pursue the deepening of the EU- China strategic partnership, the speaker added.

Piotr Zgorzelski, secretary of the Supreme Executive Committee of the Polish People’s Party, echoed Hamacek’s view. “Technological progress forces us to look at sub- national cooperation in a much wider context than we are used to do. The Belt and Road initiative is a great ex- ample of such a view,” he said.

“Its pillar is an overland route of transportation of goods connecting China with Europe via Russia and Poland. Chineurope is born, the most powerful land economic structure ever created,” he announced.

Zgorzelski expressed the belief that investment in the initiative will deepen integration among related countries, and intensify economic cooperation.