Estonia and Latvia leave China’s 16+1 trade group for central and eastern European nations

Foreign ministries of both pledge to seek relations ‘based on mutual benefit, respect for international law, human rights and the international rules-based order’

Departures follow Lithuania’s exit last year, and reduce membership of the 10-year-old group to China and 14 central and eastern European countries

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Estonian President Alar Karis (right) and Latvian President Egils Levits (second from right) join a show of support in April for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (centre), along with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda (left) and Polish President Andrzej Duda. On Thursday, Estonia and Latvia said they were leaving China’s 16+1 group. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via AFP

Finbarr Berminghamin BrusselsandRobert Delaneyin Washington

Published: 1:49am, 12 Aug 2022Updated: 5:11am, 12 Aug 2022

Call it 14+1.

Estonia and Latvia announced on Thursday that they have exited China’s 16+1 trade grouping of central and eastern European countries, following Lithuania’s departure last year.

Near-identical statements appearing on both nations’ foreign ministry websites said that they would “continue to strive for constructive and pragmatic relations with China both bilaterally, as well as through EU-China cooperation based on mutual benefit, respect for international law, human rights and the international rules-based order”.

Even so, “Latvia has decided to cease its participation in the cooperation framework of central and eastern European countries and China”, according to the statement on the Latvian ministry website.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on February 4. Photo: Sputnik via Reuters

The Estonian ministry noted that while it had participated in the group since it was founded in 2012, “Estonia has not attended any of the meetings of the format after the summit last February”.