Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries, as a crucial part of China's relations with the European Union, is beneficial for promoting the mutual development of China and CEE nations and helping balance development and integration in Europe, Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday.

Li made the remark when meeting with the media with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

China-CEEC cooperation has been conducted under the framework of EU laws and regulations in an open and transparent way, Li said. China and Germany can align their advantages with the development needs of CEE nations to explore third-party markets, Li said.

Merkel said China-CEEC cooperation is a helpful platform to improve infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe. CEE nations and China have complementary advantages and cooperation between the two sides is not dividing the EU, she said.

As most CEE nations are EU members, Germany supports their cooperation with China to be conducted under EU laws to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, she said.