Speaking at a joint news conference with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, she said there was nothing intrinsically wrong with China's role in projects like the construction of a railway between EU member Hungary and Serbia, part of the Chinese-led "16+1" initiative involving 16 mostly poorer member states.

"I see great value in EU members who participate in this initiative also representing our common foreign policy towards China, because otherwise the EU would be allowing itself to be divided against itself," she told reporters on Tuesday.