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Exclusive | China and European ‘17+1’ nations ‘revive summit plans, aiming for February’
- Long-delayed meeting could happen early next month, with end of negotiations on EU investment deal having cleared the way
- Beijing wants to signal its ties with Europe to the new US administration, European diplomat says
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China has tentatively planned to hold a long-delayed summit between President Xi Jinping and leaders of central and eastern European nations from the “17+1” bloc in early February, sources have said.
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Set to take place via video link, the summit would break a year-long deadlock over holding a meeting and show new signs of momentum in China-Europe relations after a rocky 2020.
Plans involving the cooperation platform between China and 17 central and eastern European countries are being returned to after being set aside to focus on the landmark Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), on which Beijing and the separate European Union bloc reached a broad initial agreement late last month.
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“This is a fresh proposal from the Chinese side,” said a diplomat from one of the 17 European countries, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “China seems to want to ride on the positive Europe-China momentum created by the CAI conclusion.”
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