On 30 December 2020, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a video meeting whereby they officially concluded the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI).
CAI is the most ambitious investment agreement that China has ever concluded with a trade bloc and this was reflected by the length of the seven year negotiations. As such an important agreement between two of the world’s major economies, CAI will strongly stimulate the global recovery in the post-epidemic period and strengthen the international community’s confidence in economic globalization and free trade.
CAI is a major milestone in economic globalization and free trade by opening up and actively promoting trade liberalization and investment facilitation. Its magnitude is truly impressive and provides both parties with greater mutual market access, a high level mutual investment environment, stronger institutional guaranties and brighter prospects for cooperation.
EUCNC Albania as the headquarters of the EU-China Commission for the European 17+1 countries, will be hosting the 17+1 Smart Road Trade & Invest Summit in Athens in 2021. This summit will bring together more than 200 Chinese and Central - Eastern European senior government officials, private sector executives, investors, stakeholders and NGOs who will discuss how to harness the trade and project investment opportunities provided by CAI and the 17+1 and Belt and Road Initiatives.
