Eurasian partnership to further diplomatic trust and infrastructure initiatives
On Monday, Foreign Minister of the PRC Wang Yi completed his one-week Eurasia tour in Sofia, Bulgaria. His key takeaway was the importance of cooperation, friendship, partnership and trust between members of the region.
The trip took place surrounding the seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), with Wang representing Chinese interests. Surrounding the Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wang held talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, met with representatives of Middle Eastern countries and made diplomatic visits to Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria.
All four of the visited countries are engaged in partnership with the PRC through the Belt and Road Initiative, primarily regarding energy sector and infrastructure cooperation. Wang stated that China encourages further collaboration in traditional areas such as investment, trade and economy as well as modern initiatives regarding green transition and artificial intelligence.
International cooperation with a focus on sovereignty
Summarising the importance of Asian cooperation, Wang states that “We are currently going through a period of rapid change. We must foster our solidarity so that we can easily overcome crisis situations. The Asian continent is home to the most dynamic and diverse civilisations. We must respect the governance models of each state.”
As China explicits interest in strengthening cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries, emphasis lies on the sovereignty of each state. Herein bilateral and multilateral partnership is built on an acceptance of how each state chooses to govern, no matter whether this model disregards established international standards.
