A press conference on trade and economic relations between China and Central and Eastern European countries is held in Beijing on May 9, 2025. Photo: VCG

The fourth edition of the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair will be held in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province from May 22 to 25, an official with China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday, noting that China and CEECs saw a healthy and stable development of trade and economic relations since the launch of the cooperation mechanism in 2012.

Yan Dong, vice minister of commerce, made the remarks during a press conference on the fourth edition of China-CEEC Expo. According to the official, since 2012, China's trade with CEECs has grown at an average annual rate of 8.8 percent, and in 2024, the two-way trade reached a record high of $142.3 billion, up 6.3 percent year-on-year.

Investment cooperation between China and CEECs is becoming increasingly close. Yan said that China's investment in CEECs has so far exceeded $24 billion. In recent years, Chinese enterprises of electric vehicles and power batteries have stepped up their investigation and investment in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, which has become a new highlight of investment and cooperation between the two sides.

China and CEECs also saw a rapid development of connectivity and interconnectivity, said Yan. The construction of the Hungary-Serbia Railway is proceeding smoothly. The southward channel of the China-Europe freight trains is accelerating its development, with CEECs becoming key routes and destinations for the railway. Moreover, the number of direct air routes between China and CEECs has exceeded 30, according to the official.

Lu Shan, vice governor of Zhejiang Province, said during the press conference that the CEE exhibition area at this expo spans 20,000 square meters, featuring over 400 exhibitors from CEECs. A total of over 8,000 types of CEE specialty products, including Czech beer, Slovenian honey, Hungarian down products, and Slovenian ski equipment will be showcased. 

Lu said that the area of the exhibition zone, the number of participating exhibitors, and the quantity of exhibited products have all set new records. We anticipate attracting 15,000 professional visitors to the expo, with overseas buyers expected to exceed 3,000, Lu said.

In addition to the participation of 14 CEECs, this year's expo has also attracted participation from exhibitors from nine other countries including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, with eight of them being first-time participants, Lu noted. 

China-CEECs cooperation follows the development trend of economic globalization, with a solid foundation for cooperation and a promising outlook, Yan said, noting that China's high-level opening-up has provided a new impetus for cooperation. China will firmly practice genuine multilateralism, firmly uphold the global trade order, and work hand in hand with all countries in the world, including those in the CEE region, to achieve win-win results.

Moreover, the rich economic and trade platforms between China and CEECs provide a strong guarantee for cooperation. China has established bilateral economic and trade joint committee mechanisms with all CEECs, and formed trade facilitation and investment cooperation working groups with most of them. Both sides regularly engage in in-depth communication on trade, investment, and other economic and trade policies and cooperation directions, which helps enhance economic and trade mutual trust and explore cooperation potential, Yan noted.

The strong economic and trade complementarity between China and CEECs provides new space for cooperation. China has a complete industrial system and innovative technologies, while CEECs have obvious advantages in traditional industries and strong demand for green and digital transformation. In addition, China is expanding its efforts to implement large-scale equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-in policies, while CEECs have both high-end industrial products and high-quality agricultural and food products. China's middle-income group of more than 400 million people provides strong demand for outbound tourism, while the CEE region is rich in humanities and natural tourism resources, so the two sides' services trade is complementary, Yan said.

Looking ahead, Yu Yuantang, another official with MOFCOM, said during the press conference that the ministry will expand imports from CEECs. We warmly welcome more enterprises from CEECs to participate in key expos such as the China International Import Expo and China-CEEC Expo. By leveraging cross-border e-commerce and other innovative business models, we aim to enhance the visibility of CEE products in the Chinese market and expand sales channels, Yu noted.

We are committed to consolidating existing cooperation with CEECs and jointly exploring investment opportunities in emerging fields such as digital, green, and artificial intelligence sectors. We will continue encouraging capable and willing enterprises to invest in the CEE region following market-oriented principles. Meanwhile, China is advancing high-level opening-up, actively fostering a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized. We warmly welcome CEE enterprises to invest and grow in China, sharing the vast opportunities of the Chinese market, Yu said.

Global Times