On the afternoon of April 12, 2019 local time, after attending the 8th Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) in Dubrovnik, Premier Li Keqiang, together with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov of Bulgaria, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of Croatia, jointly inaugurated the 16+1 Global Partnership Center and announced its official establishment.

The 16+1 Global Partnership Center is an important outcome of last year's meeting in Sofia, and also an initiative of innovation under the 16+1 framework. It is a non-profit and non-governmental think tank and advisory body, which will provide policy and legal consultation as well as intellectual support for both sides to facilitate trade and investment cooperation between enterprises and promote the in-depth development of the 16+1 cooperation.

When attending the 7th China-CEEC Summit in Sofia in July 2018, Li Keqiang, together with Bulgarian leader, proposed that China and the CEECs should cooperate to establish a 16+1 Global Partnership Center, which will provide consulting services and suggestions to government bodies and enterprises involved in cooperation, and introduce to the outside world the principles of openness, equality, fairness and transparency upheld by the 16+1 cooperation. The proposal received positive responses from leaders attending the summit. All parties reached a consensus on the establishment of the 16+1 Global Partnership Center in Bulgaria and agreed that China and Bulgaria should take the lead in carrying out the related activities of the Center.

Wang Yi and He Lifeng attended the event.