China signed five cooperative documents related to the Belt
and Road Initiative with Central and Eastern European countries
— Poland, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
This month, too, President Xi visited four member countries of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) — Vietnam,
Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, this year’s host of the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which he attended.
China signed several agreements with Singapore including on
a third government-to-government project in southwestern
Chongqing city, which is integral to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Xi’s visits to Malaysia and Vietnam also highlighted the
nation’s eff orts to improve ties with the ASEAN region.