PRAGUE, Aug. 28 -- Local government officials and business executives from China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries gathered here Thursday to envision new cooperation opportunities and seal investment and export deals.

More than 1,000 participants attended the opening ceremony of the second China-CEE local leaders meeting from Thursday to Friday. Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

Zhang said the gathering of Chinese and CEE local leaders will enrich their time-honored friendship and open up even broader sphere for China-CEE cooperation.

Sobotka said that the Czech Republic and China will sign a memorandum of understanding on setting up an association of heads of local governments during the meeting.

Noting that the China-CEE local leaders meeting is an integral part of China-EU cooperation, he said the platform will bear even greater fruits of cooperation in the future.

The meeting will focus on environmental protection and green energy technologies, development of China's west development drive and its cooperation with the CEE countries, the entry of Chinese companies into the CEE market and cooperation on education, culture and tourism.

Some of the delegates will also attend the China Investment Forum.

As agreed by heads of government of China and the 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the China-CEE local leaders meeting is held on a regular basis. It is the second most important platform within the China-CEE cooperation framework, following the leaders meeting.

Since its inauguration more than two years ago, the China-CEE cooperation mechanism has seen ever stronger dynamics and greater achievements. In 2013, China's trade with the 16 countries reached 55.1 billion U.S. dollars, up by 5.9 percent from the previous year.

In 2013, the number of Chinese tourists choosing CEE countries as their first destinations rose 11 percent year-on-year.

The 16 countries are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.