Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that his country plans to import goods worth over $170 billion from Central and Eastern European countries over the next five years and to double its purchases of agricultural products.
According to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, the Chinese president made this announcement while chairing a virtual summit between China and 17 Central and Eastern European countries, referred to as the "17+1" summit, which included 12 EU member states, to promote cooperation in providing COVID-19 vaccines to the group. In 2019, the European Union, consisting of 27 countries, designated China as a systemic competitor and is expected to announce next week a future trade policy aimed at enforcing global rules and ensuring equitable access to markets.