China-CEEC expo kicks off in east China's Ningbo

HANGZHOU -- The second China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair opened Tuesday in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, attracting more than 7,000 purchasers.

Themed "Fostering a New Development Paradigm, Sharing a Win-Win Opportunity," the expo aims to boost trade between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs).

"Amid the COVID-19 epidemic, the trade cooperation between China and CEECs has gone against the trend and is expanding from traditional industries to emerging industries," said Wang Bingnan, China's vice minister of commerce, at the opening ceremony.

The expo, scheduled to close on June 11, will include 20 events covering economy, trade, science and technology, and health.

With a total area of 200,000 square meters, the expo has three exhibition areas to display commodities, including helicopters, light aircraft, yachts and other exotic products with Central and Eastern European characteristics, said Wang Jian, with the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province.

In the first quarter of this year, the trade volume between China and CEECs reached 30.13 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 50.2 percent.