The summit represents a good opportunity to tackle opportunities for economic cooperation and a model for many countries committed to reforms, said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in Tuesday's address before heads of governments at the Central and Eastern Europe and China Summit.

"The excellent economic results of the People's Republic of China have raised the issue of closer cooperation with the region of Central and Eastern Europe, a step that Macedonia sees as an excellent opportunity to move forward and bring the area closer on several levels. This opportunity can serve as an accelerator of economic cooperation and development among regions. In this context, the world needs an economically strong China as much as China needs the economic progress of countries worldwide", stressed PM Gruevski.

Referring to the significance of cooperation between Central European Initiative (CEI) states and China, he said Macedonia was one of the first countries to use the benefits of the US$10 billion fund that the Chinese government promoted last year.

"Macedonia and China signed an agreement over economic and technical cooperation in the infrastructure field, thus creating the prerequisites for implementation of two exceptionally strategic infrastructure projects for Macedonia, but also the region. This agreement includes the construction of motorway sections Miladinovci-Stip and Kicevo-Ohrid", emphasized Gruevski.

Summit participants are expected to commit on working towards intensifying investments, commercial and economic cooperation.