Li Keqiang Attends and Addresses Fourth China-CEEC Economic and Trade Forum
新华社
2015/01/07

China boasts sufficient production capacity and large foreign exchange reserves, and is changing from a world factory producing consumer goods into a large base providing manufacturing equipment to the world as well as a big market integrating superior products of all countries, thus may make contributions to exploiting potentials and narrowing the gaps. China and the CEEC deepening cooperation is conducive to the balanced development ofEurope, and being conducted under the legal framework of the European Union (EU) mechanism. It is conducive to mutual benefits and win-win results between China and the EU.

 

Li Keqiang pointed out that entrepreneurs should see the great potential in China-CEEC cooperation, hold firm to confidence in the market, seize the opportunities and ride on the momentum, working together to promote the bilateral cooperation to a new level.

 

First, the construction of infrastructure connectivity contains huge potentials. A number of countries in the Central and Eastern Europe bear the advantages of ports. Connecting the ports with traffic arteries such as railways and highways can form a gigantic logistic network and vigorously expand the scale of trade. The enterprises of all countries may participate at a deep level. China welcomes Serbia to take the lead in establishing the China-CEEC Transportation Infrastructure Cooperation Association to provide quality services for cooperation enterprises of both sides.

 

 

Second, industrial cooperation with equipment as the key has a promising future. Chinese enterprises boast mature experience and technologies in infrastructure construction, and Chinese equipment in such areas as railway, electricity, port, chemical machinery are superior in quality and reasonable in price, forming competitiveness in the global market. Effectively combining the equipment manufacturing of China with the infrastructure construction of the CEEC not only promotes economic growth of the CEEC, but also gives full play to the equipment manufacturing capacity of China, thus realizing mutual benefit and win-win outcome.

 

Third, the establishment of the new investment and financing cooperation framework to provide service for the economic entity has broad prospects. The Chinese government proposes to establish the China-CEEC investment and financing cooperation framework to effectively integrate the existing investment and financing arrangement between China and the CEEC and bring forth new modes in this regard on the basis of market operation. China encourages the CEEC to keep making full use of the 10-Billion-USD Special-Purpose Loan, will establish a 3-billion-USD investment fund to encourage Chinese enterprises and financial institutions to actively participate in the public-private cooperation as well as the privatization process in the CEEC, and at the same time will launch the 1-billion-USD second stage of the China-CEEC Investment Cooperation Fund to support the investment projects towards the CEEC.

 

Fourth, there is still large space in promoting the bilateral trade. The Chinese government will take measures together with the governments of the CEEC to improve the level of facilitation for customs clearance and personnel exchanges so as to create favorable conditions for the enterprises of both sides to enlarge the trade scale and optimize the trade structure. Entrepreneurs are welcomed to promote their products in the Chinese market.

 

Li Keqiang said that since the beginning of this year, China's economic progression is generally stable, with sound growth and increased quality. We will adapt to the new normal of economic development, keep the intermediate and rapid growth of economy, and promote the development toward an intermediate and high-end level. China's sustained economic development and reform and opening-up will bring important opportunities for countries around the world including the CEEC.

 

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia and Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka of the Czech Republic said in their remarks that the CEEC-China cooperation boasts profound foundation and broad prospects. The bilateral cooperation is conducive to improving the connectivity level and competitiveness of this region. The CEEC are willing to further expand cooperation with China in such fields as economy and trade, investment, infrastructure construction, aviation, energy resources, finance and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and well implement the cooperation projects such as the Hungary-Serbia railway, so as to promote economic growth and common development.

Attending the Forum were more than 1,500 business personages from China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries.

Copyright © 2013, Secretariat for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries
Address: No. 2, Chaoyangmen Nandajie, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100701 E-mail:china_ceec@mfa.gov.cn FAX:86-10-65962554