FT: Why EU fears China

"Brussels rattled as China reaches out to Eastern Europe," writes the Financial Times, in an article about Monday's China-Central and Eastern Europe summit.

"This sub-regional (16+1) approach is meeting a great deal of suspicion not only in Brussels but also in the capitals of many member states," the newspaper cited "a European diplomat" who wished to remain anonymous "because of the sensitive nature of the topic."

Another high-ranking European diplomat, who spoke under the same condition, called it "only see the tip of the iceberg."

"The (16+1 is) dealing with many things. Some of them are touching on EU competences, or they are going into new areas where there are already initiatives between the EU and China," he said.

According to the report, the EU is worried that Beijing's closer ties with some poorer nations in Europe will influence the entire bloc's...