On December 19, 2013, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming attended and addressed the main forum of the first High-level Symposium of Think Tanks of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) in Beijing.

The main forum was hosted by Liu Haixing, Director-General of the Department of European Affairs of Chinese Foreign Ministry and Executive Secretary-General of the China-Central and Eastern Europe Cooperation Secretariat. More than 200 people attended the main forum, including former Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Haris Silajdžić, former Speaker of the Senate of Poland Longin Hieronim Pastusiak, President of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly Vuk Jeremić and other former political heavyweights of CEEC., Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister of Romania Luminita Teodora Odobescu, well-known scholars, business representatives and diplomatic envoys of China and the CEEC and others.

Zhang Ming said that, the China-CEEC cooperation enjoys a good beginning and maintains a strong momentum of development with its bright spots showing up constantly, because the cooperation complies with the characteristics of the times, gives play to the regional advantages of each country, and conforms to the traditional friendly relations between China and the CEEC and their willingness to expand cooperation, embodying the full combination of favorable climate, geographical advantages and people’s support accordingly. The Sixteenth China-EU leaders’ meeting and China-CEEC Leaders’ Meeting in Bucharest share the same spirit of mutual benefits and win-win results with a consistent pragmatic working style. The China-CEEC cooperation can completely become a new growth point of the China-Europe relations. To further promote cooperation for more achievements, all parties should promptly implement the results of the meeting in Bucharest, making breakthrough in cooperation on major projects. Coordination should be enhanced to both give full play to the role of existing channels of cooperation such as China-Central and Eastern Europe Cooperation Secretariat, and actively build new platforms of cooperation. All parties should work together and jointly participate in the cooperation. He hoped the think tank representatives can contribute more wisdom to push forward the cooperation between China and the CEEC.