6. Education, youth and sports cooperation

(1) The Participants support the Czech Republic in hosting the 8th China–CEEC Education Policy Dialogue and the 7th China–CEEC Higher Education Institutions Consortium in 2020.

(2) The Participants welcome China launching the China–CEEC Education Capacity Building Project and the China–CEEC Joint Education Project of Institutions of Higher Education.

(3) The Participants support Albania establishing the China–CEEC Youth Development Center and are encouraged to participate in related activities organized by the Center to enhance mutual understanding between youths of China and CEECs.

(4) The Participants stand ready to support strengthening of campus sports exchanges and cooperation including snow and ice activities within the framework of 16+1 Cooperation, jointly enhancing preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics. The Participants reaffirm strengthening sports exchanges and cooperation by encouraging national sports organizations and corresponding individual associations to directly contact and develop cooperation, exchange knowledge and experience, strengthen coordination in international sports affairs and jointly promote the development of sports in all countries.

(5) Participants support establishing the China-CEEC Coordination Mechanism for Sports in CEECs.

7. Scientific and Technological Innovation, Energy Cooperation

(1) The Participants hold that the potential of cooperation between China and CEECs in the field of scientific and technological innovation provides opportunities and possibilities for joint projects within 16+1 Cooperation and encourage innovation-driven mutual investments. The Participants would explore the possibility of establishing the China-CEEC Information and Communication Technology Coordination Mechanism in Croatia. The Participants support, on a voluntary basis, further technical cooperation and exchanges of experience on the establishment of high-tech industrial parks incubators, innovative start-ups and smart cities.

(2) The Participants welcome holding the 5th China–CEEC Conference on Innovation Cooperation in Slovakia in 2020, and will explore possible exchanges of scientific and technological innovation resources of the 17 countries to deepen mutual understanding and cooperation in the industrialization of scientific research results.

(3) The Participants support further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and CEECs in the area of energy. Participants welcome the establishment of the China–CEEC Energy Cooperation Dialogue among energy authorities of China and CEECs and appreciate technical exchanges as well as energy cooperation planning and research in the area of energy including exploration of cooperation in the field of green energy and biological energy by the Center for Dialogue and Cooperation on Energy Projects in Bucharest. CEECs welcome the signing of the Joint Statement on the Implementation of the EU-China Cooperation on Energy.

(4) The Participants will explore the possibility of launching the China-CEEC Smart City Coordination Center in Romania.

(5) The Participants will jointly explore the possibilities of establishing a China-CEEC Blockchain Center of Excellence under the leadership of Slovakia with interested partners.

8. Health cooperation

(1) The Participants welcome the cooperation results in the field of health within the framework of 16+1 Cooperation and reiterate their willingness to further strengthen their cooperation in public health and medical service industries through contacts between government departments, academic and talent exchanges and inter-agency cooperation within the scope of relevant rules and regulations.

(2) Interested Participants welcome more clinics, universities and research institutions in CEECs to cooperate with China on traditional Chinese medicine in various forms.

9. Agriculture, forestry, water conservation and environmental protection cooperation

(1) The Participants announce that 2020 will be the Year of China–CEEC Agricultural Diversity Cooperation. The Participants support expansion and deepening of cooperation in sustainable agriculture through academic discussions, project docking, talent training and exhibitions as well as forums.

(2) China and CEECs endorse EU-China dialogue and stand ready to promote trade in agri-food products while respecting international and scientific standards on sanitary and phytosanitary matters in particular as far as the regionalization principle is concerned. China and CEECs recognize the need of respecting the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) zoning principle to imports coming from both sides.

(3) The Participants are committed to expanding market access for food products, including by addressing market access procedures in agricultural and food trade, and accelerating product approvals.

(4) The Participants encourage China and CEECs to cooperate through the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and the CEE Countries (APACCCEEC), to support mutual agricultural trade promotion activities and to encourage enterprises to participate in international agricultural trade fairs in China and CEECs in order to strengthen exchange of information on agricultural products market access.

(5) The Participants will consider development of beneficial policies to encourage agricultural investment cooperation within their respective regulations and legal frameworks to actively promote investment docking of agribusiness and to encourage two-way investment cooperation in key areas such as agricultural production, agricultural product processing and logistics.

(6) The Participants encourage the development of new trade formats such as e-commerce, support the establishment of the China-CEEC agricultural products e-commerce logistics centers and exhibition halls in CEECs and China as well as China–CEEC agricultural products e-commerce trade warehouses and China–CEEC agricultural demonstration zones as proposed by APACCCEEC, all of them playing a role and participating in the development of related activities.

(7) The Participants will continue to deepen their cooperation between government authorities on forestry research, trade and investment to encourage and welcome more Chinese and CEECs universities and research institutions to cooperate in the field of agriculture. The Participants support the 3rd China–CEEC High-level Conference on Forestry Cooperation in CEECs in 2020, promoting joint scientific research cooperation projects between relevant scientific institutions from China and CEECs . They support the 5th China-CEEC Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture, the 15th Agro-trade and Economic Cooperation Forum and relevant sessions of the Meeting of the Consultative Board of the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and CEE Countries (APACCCEEC) in 2020. Enterprises from CEECs are welcome to participate in forestry exhibitions, conduct exchanges and hold seminars. Industry associations are encouraged to participate actively.

(8) Interested Participants encourage cooperation in emerging areas such as non-timber forest products (forest fruits, herbal medicines, fungi, etc.), especially those that are in line with relevant product quality standards and have potential for further trade in China and CEECs.

(9) Participants support the deepening of dialogue on water policy, and technical exchanges, experience sharing as well as the strengthening of exchanges of experience on water protection and the cooperation within the framework of the China–EU water resources platform and the China–EU water policy dialogue mechanism, exchanges of experience on water quality monitoring, waste water management, desalination and related cooperation projects including agricultural projects.

(10) The Participants encourage exchanges on environmentally sound management and waste disposal, and welcome their environment research organizations and business to explore pragmatic cooperation projects on a voluntary basis.

(11) The Participants encourage the strengthening of cooperation between China and CEECs in the field of environmental protection, and support making more prominent the role of the existing China–CEEC Environmental Protection Cooperation Mechanism established in Montenegro. The Participants support the holding of the 2nd China–CEEC Ministers' Conference on environmental cooperation.

10. People-to-people exchanges and local cooperation

(1) The Participants emphasize the need of building social cohesion with emphasis on gender equality, women empowerment and support of those in vulnerable situations.

(2) Participants appreciate the opening of the China-CEEC Global Partnership Center in Bulgaria and are willing to participate in its operation in order to provide policy advice and legal advice as well as intellectual support to 16+1 Cooperation.

(3) In 2020, the Secretariat of 16+1 Cooperation will continue to invite high-ranking officials and journalists from CEECs to visit China.

(4) Interested Participants support the continuation of the China–CEEC Spokespersons Dialogue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.

(5) The Participants support continued expansion of cultural and tourism cooperation within the framework of 16+1 Cooperation, and will enhance inter-connectivity and facilitation of mobility, strengthen cooperation among tourism market entities, as well as foster professional cooperation in public institutions in cultural and tourism industries. The Participants support the holding of the 6th China-CEEC High-level Conference on Tourism Cooperation in CEECs, the 3rd China-CEEC Art Cooperation Forum in Serbia, the 3rd China-CEEC Expert Forum on Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection in CEECs and the 2nd China-CEEC Library Union Forum in CEECs in 2020. The Participants attach importance to the cooperation in the field of creative industries. Slovenia will host the 5th China-CEEC Cultural and Creative Industries Forum in 2020.

(6) The Participants support the strengthening of cooperation in various fields of tourism within the framework of 16+1 Cooperation to enhance collaboration and promote tourism. The Participants welcome the establishment of the Tourism Award Marco Polo within the framework of 16+1 Cooperation at the 4th China-CEEC High-level Conference on Tourism Cooperation in Croatia. The Participants support diversified and all-round development of tourism in China and CEECs. The Participants support and welcome China and CEECs signing more bilateral Memorandums of Understanding on tourism cooperation as well as investments in related facilities.

(7) The Participants stand ready to foster further development of cultural and artistic projects and to encourage direct exchanges of experts and artists, in order to strengthen the friendly relations and cooperation in the field of culture and art.

(8) The Participants will jointly explore the possibilities for the establishment of China-CEEC Creative Hub in Montenegro to serve as an art residency platform, with the goal to support the exchange of artistic creative potential, creative goods and objects.

(9) Interested Participants take note of the role of the China–CEEC Association of Publishing Houses and will further promote exchanges and cooperation among the publishing institutions and enhance the level of cooperation.

(10) The Participants welcome CEECs in signing agreements on joint film production with China.

(11) The Participants encourage exchanges and cooperation in joint productions, program broadcasting, personnel training and TV festivals in the field of radio and television so as to promote the development of the broadcasting and television industry.

(12) The Participants support the strengthening of exchanges and cooperation in the field of intellectual property rights, giving full play to their important role in promoting economic, scientific, technological and cultural development and providing good environment for enterprises and innovators in China and CEECs. Taking into account the EU–China cooperation in the field of protection of intellectual property rights, Participants are willing to exchange views on various intellectual property issues of common concern.

(13) The Participants reaffirm opportunities for promoting women entrepreneurship and will explore the possibility of building a China-CEEC network of women entrepreneurship in Romania.

(14) The Participants positively comment the important role played by local cooperation in promoting the in-depth development of 16+1 Cooperation and support the China-CEEC Association of Provincial Governors in conducting communication and coordination. The Participants support Bosnia and Herzegovina in holding the 5th China-CEEC Capital Mayors Forum in Sarajevo in 2020.