Beijing — Some European countries are refusing to sign a trade statement at China’s Silk Road summit, a diplomat said on Monday, dealing a setback to Beijing’s efforts to gain full support for its initiative. Germany, Estonia and Hungary are among the EU countries spurning the document, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity. Nearly 30 world leaders are taking part in the global summit on China’s Silk Road plan, a huge infrastructure project that Beijing hopes will revive ancient trade routes from Asia to Europe and Africa. The forum was to culminate on Monday evening in a final communiqué from heads of state. The diplomat said some European nations taking part in the summit’s trade panel decided to rebuff the text because they believed it did not sufficiently address European concerns surrounding transparency of public procurement and social and environmental standards. China only presented the document to negotiators last week, telling them it could no longer be reworked, acc...
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