National expo in Ningbo to deepen China-CEEC ties

A variety of food and beverages from Central and Eastern European Countries are on display at the third China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo from June 8 to 12, 2017. The expo was upgraded in 2019 to become a national-level expo. [Photo/IC] 

The China-Central and Eastern European Countries Expo, or China-CEEC Expo, which was upgraded this year to become a national-level expo, is scheduled to be held from June 8 to 12 in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, according to a news conference in Beijing on May 29. 

"The upgraded expo will be an important platform for China and CEEC to deepen Belt and Road cooperation," said a person from the organizing committee.

Notably, Greece will be a newcomer to the expo as it has joined the cooperation effort between China and the 16 CEEC members, turning the previously "16+1 Cooperation" into "17+1 Cooperation".   

A record high of 2,000 overseas guests will participate in more than 20 economic and trade activities, such as a China-CEEC cooperation forum and an investment cooperation fair. 

The expo, which covers an area of 110,000 square meters, will accommodate more than 3,500 buyers and investors, with a focus on an imported European commodities exhibition. 

Slovakia and the Republic of Lithuania will be the guest countries of honor, North China's Jilin province will be the theme province, and Shaoxing in East China's Zhejiang province will be "the city of charm".

Ningbo has been holding the annual China-CEEC investment and trade expo since 2015, and has been enjoying an increasingly close trade partnership with CEEC. Its trade with CEEC hit nearly $4 billion last year, up 26.8 percent year on year. 

Zhejiang-CEEC trade has also been boosted in recent years. The bilateral trade totaled around $13.85 billion in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 24.5 percent. In the first quarter of the year, the trade volume reached $3.24 billion, up 3.1 percent.

In terms of investment between Zhejiang and CEEC, Zhejiang had established 199 companies worth $1.22 billion in CEEC by the end of March, while CEEC registered 468 companies in Zhejiang, bringing $416 million in foreign direct investment to the province.