Coastal city spearheads Chinese relations with bloc of Central and Eastern European countries

Ningbo, a coastal city in East China's Zhejiang province, has made remarkable progress in supporting the cooperation between China and 16 Central and Eastern European Countries - also known as the 16+1 cooperation.

The cooperation mechanism was established in 2012 in Warsaw, Poland. It aims to promote sustainable and forward-looking cooperation, and build a new model of partnership featuring openness, inclusiveness and win-win outcomes between China and the 16 Central and Eastern European Countries, which are collectively known as CEEC.

Ningbo has become an important platform in China for holding CEEC-relevant events.

Ningbo, a coastal city in East China's Zhejiang province, is achieving outstanding results in supporting the 16+1 cooperation. Chen Qianbin / For China Daily

The Second Ministerial Conference of China and Central and Eastern European Countries on Promoting Trade and Economic Cooperation is held in Ningbo in 2016. Photos Provided to China Daily

Ningbo's Zhoushan Port plays an irreplaceable role in supporting trade between China and CEEC.

The city has hosted the annual China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo for the past three years, the Ministerial Conference of China and Central and Eastern European Countries on Promoting Trade and Economic Cooperation in 2014 and 2016, and the China-CEEC Forum on Cooperation Development in 2015 and 2017.

The 2018 China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo will be held in the city from Friday to Monday.

Statistics from local authorities show that representatives from more than 1,000 CEEC companies have taken part in the expo in the past three years. Thousands of professional buyers from more than 20 provinces in China have also participated in the trade fair.

A survey conducted by the expo organizers found that 89 percent of exhibitors believe the event has helped to expand their brand awareness in China. About 75 percent of exhibitors thought the expo helped them to find local business partners, suppliers or cooperation.

Zhang Yan, director of the Ningbo Commission of Commerce, revealed that the demand for expo stalls has continued to rise over the past three years.

"We decided to expand the exhibition area by 3,000 square meters (in 2018) to better serve growing demand," Zhang said. "The expo will further enhance economic and trade cooperation between China and CEEC."

Apart from the expo, a series of parallel events such as the China-CEEC Mayor's Forum and the China-CEEC Customs Cooperation Forum have been held during each China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo session to strengthen ties in fields such as trade and investment.

Ningbo will host the Ministerial Conference of China and Central and Eastern European Countries on Promoting Trade and Economic Cooperation again on Wednesday and Thursday. About 100 government representatives will attend the meeting.