Europe’s ‘17+1’ countries dissatisfied with China relations, report says, as summit is postponed

Trade deficit with China has grown and the 17 Central and Eastern European nations should demand more from Beijing, European scholars write

Coronavirus has forced the delay of China’s summit with the bloc, multiple sources confirm

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Prague, the Czech Republic’s capital, is near-deserted because of the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused the delay of the “17+1” summit. Photo: DPA

Published: 7:38pm, 7 Apr 2020Updated: 9:34pm, 7 Apr 2020

Central and Eastern European countries have become increasingly dissatisfied with the economic results of their “17+1” initiative with China, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report by the China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe – a group of scholars associated with Prague think tank the Association for International Affairs – found that all 17 European countries in the initiative had seen their trade deficit with China increase since the group was established in 2012.

It came as it was confirmed that this month’s planned 17+1 summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders from the European nations has been postponed because of the coronavirus.

The report’s lead author, Ivana Karaskova, said the summit was postponed indefinitely, citing sources in the Czech Republic with knowledge of the matter, along with Czech media reports.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also confirmed on Tuesday that the gathering had been put on hold.

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