Abstract: In 2012, China initiated the 16+1 platform grouping it with the 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. For the CEE countries, activities of the 16+1 platform meant that China became a partner with whom they have the most diplomatic exchanges outside the EU. For China, the 16+1 platform with the CEE became a project to which it devoted more diplomatic energy than to any other similar projects. The lecture will present main features of the China-CEE relations and it will argue that while the CEE countries look towards China with economic expectations, Chinese approach towards the CEE is driven mainly by political goals. That may explain why the results of the first five years of the China-CEE cooperation brought little economic successes but led to an increased profile of China in the region.

BIO: Richard Q. Turcsányi, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Mendel University in Brno and Associate Research Fellow at Institute of International Relations Prague. He is also a Director of STRATPOL - Strategic Policy Institute and Deputy Director of Institute of Asian Studies, both in Bratislava. In past, he conducted a long-term study and research stays at University of Toronto, Peking University, National Chengchi University in Taipei, and European Institute for Asian Studies in Brussels. In his academic research, he focuses mostly on Central Europe’s relations with East Asia and Chinese foreign policy.