(Photo: Reuters)

China will encourage its enterprises to make more investment in Central and Eastern European countries, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday in the Hungarian capital Budapest, calling for visa facilitation for Chinese companies in the region.

Li made the remarks in his opening speech at the seventh Economic and Trade Forum of China and 16 Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), part of the sixth meeting of China-CEEC heads of government (China-CEEC summit).

The Chinese premier announced the establishment of the China-CEEC Inter-Bank Association and the second phase of China-Central and Eastern Europe (China-CEE) Investment Cooperation Fund.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends the China-CEEC Economic and Trade Forum in Budapest, Hungary November 27, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

He called for synergizing the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of CEEC, adding that the two sides should enhance cooperation in the field of new growth drivers.

China will sign trade agreements on agricultural products with six CEEC this year and will hold an expo of CEEC agricultural products in 2018, Li said.

He noted that this year marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the China-CEEC cooperation, adding that the 16+1 cooperation mechanism has been realized against the backdrop of globalization and calls for free trade and investment facilitation.

Li said cross-region cooperation is an important carrier of globalization.

During the past five years, Chinese investment in CEEC has increased from six billion US dollars to nine billion US dollars, while the number of Chinese tourists visiting the region has jumped from 200,000 to 900,000, according to the Chinese premier.

Li arrived in Budapest on Sunday, and will pay an official visit to Hungary after the summit.