Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Five-Day European Tour

April 9, 2019(EIRNS)—Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will be in Europe from April 8-12, beginning with a China-EU annual meeting in Brussels. Li published an article in the German financial daily Handelsblatt, headlined “Embracing Openness and Cooperation for Mutual Benefit,” in which he wrote:

“Our two sides need to work together to promote an open world economy and address long-running issues and new challenges confronting the human society to inject stability into an increasingly uncertain world.” Li said further that “China is ready to work with Europe to promote two-way opening-up and provide a level playing field for our companies to strengthen cooperation in each other’s countries.”

After the China-EU leaders’ meeting, Li will go to Croatia for an official visit and the eighth heads of government meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEEC, aka 16+1). According to China Daily,

“At the 21st China-EU Leaders’ Meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, Premier Li Keqiang is expected to underscore China’s resolve to deepen strategic mutual trust and cooperation with the EU, including on the Belt and Road Initiative that China has proposed as a means for improving global connectivity and shared development. This year, Italy and Luxembourg signed memorandums of understanding with China to jointly advance the construction of the Belt and Road, bringing to 22 the total number of European countries that have signed cooperative agreements with China on the initiative.”