Lithuania wants to leave 17+1 format

Lithuania has announced it will withdraw from the 17+1 format with China. The cooperation program between Beijing and 17 Eastern and Central European countries (CEEC) has brought Lithuania „almost no benefits,“ the EU and NATO state’s foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, told public broadcaster LRT. „I’m not saying we’re leaving and that’s the end, but we should really consider what the sensible way to build a relationship with China is,“ Landsbergis told LRT. The 17+1 format is not useful for Europe, he said. „It divides Europe because some countries have a different opinion on China than others,“ Landsbergis said, according to the report.