Qin explores the ten-year-development of relations between China and Central and Eastern Europe through the China-CEEC (China-Central and Eastern European Countries) cooperation (16/17+1), which begun as a platform for annual high-level meetings between leaders of China and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries, and to stimulate new dynamism and gain recognition through effective shared practice.

This book analyses the process of co-construction of shared practices between China and the Czech Republic through China-CEEC cooperation from 2012 to 2021 from the perspective of normative power. It proposes the concept of ‘earning recognition’ that provides a specific analytical path for dynamically measuring whether an actor could be seen as having normative power and that brings new insights from the perspective of normative power to the debates on China’s ideational influence in the CEE region. It provides a wealth of empirical evidence for reflecting on China’s approach in the Czech Republic, adding an important piece of the puzzle to the study of China-CEE relations.