China's New Silk Road must be open to Europeans

Projects along China's New Silk Road must be open to Europeans, the EU's top diplomat said yesterday, as China's prepares its first summit dedicated to the ambitious plan to link Asia, Africa and Europe.

President Xi Jinping has championed what China calls the "One Belt, One Road" initiative involving billions of dollars of investment in infrastructure including roads, railways, ports and power grids.

"Obviously, for us it is essential that the opportunities are opened up for all including Europeans," the EU's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, told students at the elite Tsinghua University in Beijing.

"I know that some in the world are concerned about a more confident and outward looking China. I do not share this view," she said.

Representatives of 110 countries, including most Asian leaders, will gather in Beijing next month for the New Silk Road summit, China's biggest diplomatic event of the year.

China has sought to improve ties with 16 Central and Eastern Europe countries directly under an initiative launched in November 2016, dubbed "16+1", to fund mostly infrastructure development in Europe.

China and the European Union should promote a "positive signal" of economic globalisation and free and fair trade, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told Mogherini on Tuesday.

Mogherini and China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, spoke on Tuesday about the need to work together on hot-spot issues including North Korea and Syria, as well as the need to avoid protectionism.