Premier Li Keqiang has sent a congratulatory letter to the third China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries local leaders meeting, held in Tangshan, Hebei province on June 17.

Premier Li wrote that the China-CEE cooperation mechanism was developing well, and that cooperation in various fields showed great vitality. Local cooperation, as the most grassroots and beneficial field, covers a wide range and has a strong radiation. It plays a supportive role in the “16+1” cooperation and has good development prospects.

The Premier pointed out that the Chinese government supported local governments to play a bigger role in the new round of high-level talks. The government is also encouraging local areas among China-CEE countries to use their advantages, strengthen connections, and participate in the “16+1” cooperation in production capacity, trading and intercommunication. Premier Li said he hoped representatives could focus on development to develop a new driving force for the development of “16+1” cooperation.

Leaders from CEE countries, including Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister Petar Ivanovic, said China-proposed platforms, such as the “16+1”cooperation mechanism and the local leaders meeting, helped advance the political trust between China and the other countries, deepen enterprise cooperation, promote regional communication and bring tangible benefits to people in each country.

They also said their countries were glad to support and actively attend the pragmatic cooperation of “16+1” in the sectors such as energy, infrastructure and scientific innovation to create a better life for their people.

Vice-Premier Ma Kai also attended the opening ceremony.