4. Strengthening Solidarity and Handling Differences Properly in Accordance with the Principle of Mutual Benefit and Mutual Learning

Central and Eastern Europe is not a monolithic region, and the 17 CEECs are quite diversified in their national realities, internal and external policies. As the most involved player in the region, the EU has made tremendous efforts to integrate these countries into the EU, but given the differences between the 17 countries and western European countries, as well as the differences among the 17 countries themselves, it is only normal that even the EU cannot bridge the gap in a short period of time.

China-CEEC Cooperation is able to handle the differences of CEECs in a relatively flexible way, by focusing more on win-win cooperation, respecting the differences of all countries and drawing on each other’s strengths and success stories. A telling story is that China-CEEC Cooperation has been able to develop a synergy between its own initiatives and existing initiatives proposed by CEECs, such as the Danube Initiative and the Three Seas Initiative, which all have their strengths and shortcomings. The Balkan states pay close attention to the Danube Initiative, as it focuses on the development of the Danube region. EU member states among the 17 CEECs are more interested in the Three Seas Initiative, as it focuses on integral cooperation in the energy, communications and transport sectors. These initiatives are somewhat exclusive. For example, the Three Seas Initiative, initiated by Croatia and Poland, is participated mainly by EU members, while the non-EU Balkan states are, in fact, not covered. China is working actively to develop a synergy between China-CEEC Cooperation and these initiatives, by putting forward the Baltic-Adriatic-Black Sea Port Area Cooperation initiative, which takes into account the strengths of various existing initiatives.

China-CEEC Cooperation has opened up new possibilities of developing a new type of international relations, where countries with different social systems, cultural traditions and developmental levels like China and CEECs are able to respect each other, live in harmony with each other and engage in win-win cooperation in the era of globalization. The flexible and practical policy followed by China is consistent with the aspirations of CEECs to independently choose their way of development.