FTAs hold key to driving growth in CEE region

Major forum hears calls for broader Sino-European cooperation to safeguard against protectionism

Free trade agreements are needed between China and countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in order to provide a new driving force for regional economic growth, said officials and scholars.

The trade relationship between China and CEE has seen a remarkable improvement, despite global trade frictions and the recent turbulence in financial markets. "That is proof that trade ties have great potential to develop," Xie Yuan, vice-president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), said on Thursday.