Premier Li Keqiang met with World Economic Forum (WEF) chairman Klaus Schwab, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze on July 1 in Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning province, where the 13th Summer Davos Forum is taking place.

During his meeting with Schwab, Premier Li said that China is willing to deepen its partnership with the WEF to uphold multilateralism and free trade, and develop an open and inclusive world economic system.

In response, Schwab said that the WEF will work with China and jointly push bilateral cooperation to a new level.

During talks with Radev, Premier Li said this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and called on the two sides to strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, agriculture and technology.

The two leaders agreed to make good use of the Global Partnership Center of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and China and further deepen the China-CEEC cooperation.

The Global Partnership Center of CEECs and China is an important product of last year’s China-CEEC leaders’ meeting in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria. It is also an initiative of innovation within the China-CEEC cooperation framework.

Meeting with Bakhtadze, the Premier noted that the two sides will strengthen connectivity and infrastructure development, and deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

For his part, Bakhtadze welcomed China to expand investments in Georgia so as to advance the joint building of the Belt and Road.

This year’s forum features the theme of “Leadership 4.0: Succeeding in a New Era of Globalization.”

Established by the WEF in 2007, the Summer Davos Forum is held annually in China, alternating between the two port cities of Tianjin and Dalian.

The event includes meetings on global cybersecurity, China’s economic outlook and autonomous vehicles. More than 1,900 people from over 100 countries and regions are attending the forum.