Accompanied by Sun Ping, Vice President of China Eximbank, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and leaders of 16 Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) paid a visit to China Eximbank’s booth at the China-CEEC Cooperation Achievements Exhibition at the National Place of Culture in Sofia on the morning of 7 July  (local time). The leaders observed the sand tables for the Project of Modernization and Reconstruction of Hungarian-Serbian Railway Line and Zemun-Borca Bridge, which have both been financed by China Eximbank, and inquired about relevant details. 

China Eximbank’s staff introduced Premier Li Keqiang and the CEECs leaders to the flagship project of Modernization and Reconstruction of Hungarian-Serbian Railway Line under China-CEEC 16+1 Cooperation, as well as the Zemun-Borca Bridge, which was the first bridge ever built by a Chinese enterprise in Europe. China Eximbank, being the sole provider of loans to the two projects, has offered necessary financing for the smooth implementation of the projects. The two projects will help improve the infrastructure development, regional connectivity,  as well as the local people’s lives. 

At the exhibition, many of the projects financed by China Eximbank in CEECs received wide attention, including the North-South Highway in Montenegro, Phase I Project of the Package Project Kostolac-B Power Plant Projects in Serbia, the chemical Industry project in Hungary, and the photovoltaic project in Czech. The great efforts made by the Bank has not only facilitated social and economic development in CEECs, but also interpreted the global vision for common development by adhering to the principle of mutual consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. 

Since the launch of the “16+1 Cooperation” mechanism six years ago, China Eximbank has actively catered to the development strategies of CEECs, and vigorously played out its advantages in policy-based finance, making positive contribution to the solid progress and robust development of China-CEEC cooperation. As of May 2018, China Eximbank had extended RMB 25 billion of loans for about 50 projects in more than 10 CEECs, thus rendering support for the social and economic development of relevant countries. These projects cover a number of areas, including infrastructure connectivity, energy and resources, communication, agriculture, chemicals, and people’s livelihood. 

Going forward, China Eximbank will continue to leverage its advantages in policy-based finance to actively strengthen cooperation with CEECs to meet their development needs, and inject new vitality into the extensive, all-round, multi-tiered, and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the region.