China is also strengthening ties with Central and Eastern European countries, as the 7th China-CEEC Local Leaders' Meeting continues in east China's Shandong Province. One of the officials attending is former Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. CGTN's Cao Chufeng spoke with her to discuss the resilience of China-Romania relations and why she believes cooperation with China matters. 

CAO CHUFENG, CGTN "Trade between China and Central and Eastern European countries, including Romania, has seen strong growth in recent years. What do you think has kept this connection resilient, despite some challenges between Beijing and Brussels?"

VIORICA DANCILA, Former Romanian Prime Minister, President, Romanian-Chinese House "I believe that we must start from the existing reality. China is not only a very big economic power, but China is also a very important global player at the moment. And when decisions are made in Brussels, they must take this into account. Because a very good relationship with China would bring great benefits. We see that Brussels decides that there should be certain divergent opinions with China, but at the same time leaders of European Union member states visit China, and they want to have the best possible relations with China."

CAO CHUFENG, CGTN "What would you say is one of the most successful areas of cooperation between Romania and China?"

VIORICA DANCILA, Former Romanian Prime Minister, President, Romanian-Chinese House "I think there are many elements in this regard. When I was the Prime Minister of Romania, the period was marked for having some of the best relations with China. The fact that, at that time, ties were very strong at the institutional and governmental levels, brought development to Romania. President Xi Jinping said, friendship must remain in people's hearts. I took this into account, and I tried to make connections between the Romanian and Chinese people."