Greece set to join China-led 16+1 group with Central and Eastern European nations
- Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has expressed his desire to join cooperation platform, source says
- Announcement likely to be made at group’s annual summit, which gets under way in Dubrovnik on Friday
Greece looks set to join a China-backed coalition of Central and Eastern European nations in a move that is likely to increase Beijing’s influence in the region while triggering further unease among major Western European governments.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has clearly expressed his intention to join the 16+1 group of China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) nations, according to a diplomatic source.
In a letter to North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Tsipras said Greece’s participation in the group was consistent with its willingness to enhance its role in the region, according to a Financial Times report.
A formal announcement of the move is expected to be made on Friday at the 16+1 summit in Dubrovnik, Croatia, which will be attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
The platform, which was established in 2012, is seen by China as a way to boost trade and investment with CEE countries, 11 of which are also members of the European Union. In 2013, it was aligned with Beijing’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, an ambitious plan to boost global trade though infrastructure development.