Cooperation between China and 12 EU Central and Eastern European (CEE) member states initially predicted great results in all areas, including trade. With the launch of the initiative, at first it seemed as if China would keep its promises and improve not only its diplomatic relations with the CEE countries, but also deepen its trade relations. Eventually, it became clear the 17+1 initiative was not working on a win-win basis, with not everyone having the same opportunities and results as China had originally promised. In the long run, China has proven to enjoy most of the trade benefits of the 17+1 initiative and that China sees the initiative as a way to show itself as a global player work with all types of actors. The pandemic has seen the world economy slowing, which has also affected the relationship between CEE countries and China. In the study, I analyze the historical background of the China–CEE countries relationship, as well as the 17+1 initiative itself. The aim is to determine how the 17+1 initiative has shaped the volume of trade and growth of imports and exports between the 12 selected EU CEE countries and China. The analysis focuses on 12 EU member states of the CEE with a view to comparing trade with China on the EU level, and also because data for them is more accessible and transparent than for other members of the 17+1 initiative.
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