President Xi Jinping announced that China is ready to supply more vaccines and strengthen trade relations with Central and Eastern European countries.

Speaking today at an online summit with leaders of 17 Central and Eastern European countries, also known as the 17 + 1 group, President Xi Jinping mentioned that Serbia had received one million doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

"China will actively consider such partnerships," said Xi, committing to expand the Belt and Road Initiative, the project to build transcontinental infrastructure, in the

The 17 + 1 group includes China and the countries of the European Union (EU) and non-bloc countries, established in 2012 after the global financial crisis and the euro zone.

However, in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic still raging, Europe fell into chaos because the vaccination campaign was inadequate, making many countries feel that they could no longer rely on the EU.

On February 4, French President Emmanuel Macron also admitted China's Covid-19 vaccine development effort was "an obvious diplomatic success", leaving Europe "slightly humiliated".