Upcoming China-CEEC Expo to highlight host city Ningbo's opening-up stride

NINGBO, China, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

From May 22 to 25, the Fourth China-Central and Eastern European Countries Expo and International Consumer Goods Fair (China-CEEC Expo) will be held in Ningbo, a port city in east China's Zhejiang Province, according to the executive committee of the expo.

This event comes as China and the European Union celebrate the 50th anniversary of their formal diplomatic relations, placing the historic port city at the forefront of China's push for high-standard opening-up.

The expo will feature over 400 exhibitors showcasing more than 8,000 distinctive products from CEEC, including Czech beer, Slovenian honey, and Hungarian down products. The exhibition area covers over 20,000 square meters, with record numbers of exhibitors and displayed products. It is expected to attract around 15,000 professional visitors, including more than 3,000 overseas buyers, with anticipated transaction intentions exceeding 10 billion yuan for imports of Central and Eastern European goods.

In addition to its scale, this year's expo promises numerous unique and cost-effective experiences for exhibitors and visitors, including nine brand debuts from CEEC and 1.5 million yuan in exclusive consumer vouchers. The event will also host 11 key activities, four systematic events, and over 50 sector- and country-specific matchmaking activities, providing an extensive platform for exchange and cooperation.

Since the inaugural China-CEEC Expo in 2019, this event in Ningbo has become a crucial platform for deepening trade ties, showcasing the city's commitment to fostering bilateral collaboration across various fields.

Ningbo hosted its first CEEC products expo in 2014 and established China's first China-CEEC economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone in 2018. Currently, annual trade growth between Ningbo and CEEC stands at 18.3%. From January to April this year, the total import and export volume with these countries reached 19.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.8%.

Ningbo Zhoushan Port has established maritime routes with five CEEC ports, projecting a container throughput of 786,000 TEUs in 2024. The city has also launched a passenger route to Budapest, Hungary, which has transported over 27,000 passengers in two years.

Beyond economic exchanges, Ningbo is expanding cooperation with CEEC in education, technology, culture, and tourism. The city has established friendly relations with 19 Central and Eastern European cities and set up nine overseas liaison offices in CEEC. It has also created platforms, such as the China-CEEC vocational colleges industry-education alliance, and organized a series of events, including a China-CEEC exchange week.

To further enhance mutual understanding among people, this expo will introduce a charming CEEC section for the first time, featuring exhibits including over 400 books co-published by China and CEEC and a wide array of exhibits showcasing the cultural landscapes of 14 Central and Eastern European nations.

Ningbo has been leveraging its deep ties with CEEC to foster cooperation with other European countries. The EU remains Ningbo's largest trading partner, with trade reaching 81.42 billion yuan in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 11.6%.

On April 30, over 100 TEUs of domestically produced solar photovoltaic panels set sail from Ningbo Zhoushan Port to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, marking the first combination of sea-rail intermodal transport with the China-Europe Express, establishing a direct logistics channel that meets high-volume and time-sensitive trade demands for exports to Europe.

In addition to exhibitors from the 14 Central and Eastern European countries, this year's expo has attracted participants from nine other nations, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, with exhibitors from eight of those countries attending for the first time, expanding the event's reach to the rest of Europe.

Looking ahead, Ningbo will continue to position itself as a preferred location for bilateral trade, investment, and cultural exchange between China and Central and Eastern Europe, according to Ningbo mayor Tang Feifan.

The city aims to promote synergy between the expo and the demonstration zone, hoping to leverage the event to attract more institutional platforms to Ningbo and enhance the development and achievements of bilateral cooperation, Tang added.

Source: The Executive Committee of China-CEEC Expo

Contact person: Ms. Wang, Tel: 86-10-63074558