Officially, the Cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), referred to as the "16+1," is an anodyne concept, designed to facilitate links between Asia and Europe and spur the economies of less-developed nations in Europe and its periphery. Some observers warn, however, that the CEEC seeks to split those countries from the European Union.

While Beijing would like to increase its leverage in the 16 countries, fears are outpacing the reality of Chinese power and influence. Nonetheless, the 16+1 forces Europeans to confront dilemmas that Japan and other countries have faced as China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative moves forward. This is an opportunity for Japan and like-minded countries to consult and share assessments of Chinese behavior and cooperate to ensure that the good that China does for some countries does not come at too high a price.

In 2011, then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao proposed that 10 EU members (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and six nonmembers (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, which has since joined the EU, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) deepen cooperation with China. A year later, Wen oversaw the launch of the CEEC, which would focus on finance, infrastructure, investment, trade and people-to-people relations. The group set up a secretariat to implement its efforts and held regular high-level meetings to coordinate efforts, including a heads of state summit.