BEIJING — Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory letter to the 4th Local Leaders’ Meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) held in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia on Oct 20.

The Chinese head of government said in his letter that the China-CEEC mechanism is a trans-regional cooperation platform dedicated to the improvement of bilateral ties between China and the CEE countries, the growth of China-European cooperation and the promotion of common development.

Over the past years, the 16+1 (16 CEE countries and China) cooperation has followed principles such as openness, inclusiveness, equilibrium and mutual benefit, and yielded great fruits, bringing tangible benefits to the peoples of all the countries involved, said Premier Li, adding that such cooperation has also enriched the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and boosted the development of China-EU ties.

An important feature of the 16+1 cooperation is vibrant local cooperation, which has proven as a solid support for China-CEEC relations, said Premier Li.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up, and the Chinese government will, as always, encourage and support local entities in China to play a bigger role in a higher level of opening-up, he said.

He hoped that China and the CEE countries could further tap the potential of their complementarity at the local level and achieve more results in cooperation in areas such as connectivity, industrial parks, agriculture, tourism, science and technology, finance and cultural exchanges, so as to contribute more to the long-term development of 16+1 cooperation as well as the China-EU partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization.