'16+1' is becoming a beneficial cross-regional cooperation platform

Participants in the summit issued the Sofia Guidelines for Cooperation between China and CEE with "Deepening open and pragmatic cooperation for inclusive prosperity" as its theme. They stressed that the 16+1 Cooperation constitutes an important part of and a positive complementary to the relationship between China and the EU:

The Participants … are ready to work together … to ensure that China-EU relations continue to develop in a balanced way. …are ready to actively implement the Belt and Road cooperation MOUs… to bring more results to this cooperation while maintaining its openness, based on market rules and international norms which, on the part of EU Member States would also complement relevant EU policies and projects.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reassured that China will stay on the path to deepen economic reforms and adhere to...