Foreign investment from Europe to Zhejiang on the rise

A woman talks with a businessman from Bulgaria at the 4th China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo in Ningbo, Zhejiang province on June 9, 2018. The exchange event between China and Central and Eastern European countries, permanently held in Ningbo, was upgraded to a national-level expo recently. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Official statistics from the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province revealed that in the first two months of 2019, there was a significant increase in the amount of incoming foreign investment to Zhejiang, especially from European countries.

Business cooperation between Zhejiang and Europe has become stronger in recent years, according to an official of the commerce department.

Zhejiang's commerce department signs a cooperation agreement with the investment promotion bureau in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany on March 15. [Photo/ WeChat account: zjsswt]

This year, Zhejiang will organize 24 exhibitions in foreign countries, with Europe being a focal point.

In the middle of March, a business delegation made up of Zhejiang government officials and enterprise representatives attended a matchmaking event in Nordrhein-Westfalen, a state in western Germany, and had in-depth talks with their German counterparts on how to expand commercial exchanges and cooperation.

Staff members of Yiwu customs inspect containers carrying small items from Yiwu, Zhejiang province to be delivered to Madrid, Spain. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe cargo lines, an indispensable part of Zhejiang-Europe trade, have seen more than 300 trains travelling between the two regions every year. So far, there are nine lines connecting Zhejiang to countries such as Spain, the UK and the Czech Republic.