On the eastern shores, the grand event unfolds. Marking the 13th year of China-CEEC cooperation, the 4th China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair reopened in Ningbo. As a key national institutional exhibition platform connecting China with CEECs, this transcontinental event serves as both a significant initiative to advance the Belt and Road cooperation and a crucial practice in building a new development paradigm.
As China's first China-CEEC Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone, Ningbo continues to deepen and expand its economic collaboration with Central and Eastern European countries. Customs statistics show that in 2024, Ningbo's total import-export volume with CEEC reached a historic high of RMB 56.13 billion, marking an 11.2% year-on-year increase and maintaining positive growth for nine consecutive years. The export structure has been continuously optimized and upgraded, with sustained improvements in product innovation and environmental sustainability. In the machinery and electrical (M&E) products sector, exports in Q1 2025 exceeded RMB 7.88 billion, representing a 22.6% year-on-year increase. As pillar industries of Ningbo City, home appliances, electrical equipment, and automotive components have achieved dual improvements in both quantity and quality, driven by green and intelligent transformation initiatives.
At this pivotal juncture where profound adjustments in global economic governance intersect with industrial technological transformation, this grand event serves as a panoramic showcase, comprehensively presenting the fruitful cooperation between China and CEECs across multiple domains including economy, trade, science, technology, and culture. Green vision and technological innovation have ignited a new engine for Asia-Europe cooperation along the East China Sea coast, ushering in a new chapter for China-CEE collaboration.
Greening the Silk Road
Co-creating Through Low-carbon Cooperation
A New Vision for Sustainable Development
Green and low-carbon cooperation has consistently served as a crucial nexus between China and CEECs. Since the launch of the "China-CEEC Cooperation's Year of Green Development and Environmental Protection" in 2021, enhanced cooperation and exchanges in green economy, clean energy, and related fields have provided strategic guidance and strong momentum for further deepening ecological and environmental collaboration between China and CEECs.
Green development has emerged as a prevailing global trend. According to GACC database statistics under the "New Three" category, China's exports of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products to CEEC reached RMB 47.117 billion in 2024. In January, China inaugurated its first green China-Europe Railway Express train—a cross-border e-commerce special train powered entirely by clean energy. This pioneering green logistics solution, featuring end-to-end low-carbon transportation, presents a vibrant new chapter in the advancement of the Green Silk Road.
With a focus on intelligent and green transformation, Ningbo has leveraged its strategic initiative to build a "New Energy Vehicle City," accelerating the growth of local industrial clusters in energy storage and photovoltaics. This has fostered a comprehensive new energy vehicle industry chain encompassing intelligent assisted driving, lightweight vehicle bodies, and three-electric systems. Meanwhile, Ningbo's collaboration with CEECs in green and low-carbon sectors has gained significant momentum. Leading global automotive parts suppliers—including Joyson, Minth, Tuopu, and Huaxiang—along with energy storage battery manufacturers like Risen Energy, have proactively expanded their operations in CEECs such as Poland, Serbia, and Hungary. This strategic move has enabled their deep integration into Europe's new energy vehicle industry chain.
At the China-CEEC Industrial Cooperation Park in Yuyao, Ningbo Bojiahua Biomaterials Co., Ltd., a Bulgarian-invested enterprise, specializes in R&D of bio-based degradable materials, contributing to the green transformation of "China Plastic City". Meanwhile, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has established a new export corridor for China's "New Three" foreign trade commodities through its "18-hour Sea-Rail Express+26-day CEX" service, enhancing transportation efficiency from the Yangtze River Delta to Europe by 25%.
Intelligent Future
Empowered Through Technological Innovation
A New "Cross-Mountain-and-Sea" Pathway
The integration of digital technologies into real economy is generating strong momentum for China-CEE cooperation. The State Council's 14th Five-Year Plan for Digital Economy Development outlines strategies to "expand international digital economy cooperation effectively" and "advance the Digital Silk Road initiative, fostering high-quality China-CEE collaboration in digital economy". In recent years, China and CEEC have achieved breakthroughs in digital trade and economy through establishing the China-CEEC E-commerce Cooperation Dialogue Mechanism and signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Economy Cooperation.
Ningbo has pioneered a new model of digital cooperation with CEE countries. As one of the key achievements of the 3rd China-CEEC Expo, Romania's eMAG – one of Europe's fastest-growing e-commerce platforms – established its Yangtze River Delta Operation Center in Ningbo in 2023. This facilitates Ningbo's home appliances, textiles, and cultural/educational products to access CEE markets via cross-border e-commerce. Furthermore, leveraging the China-CEEC cooperation framework, Hungary's VR PARK partnered with Ningbo Science Exploration Center to launch VRPark (Virtual Reality Theme Park), which opened to the public in October 2024. In April, Orca Beat VR Park—a joint venture between VR PARK and Hungary's Peter Pan Company—officially opened at Ningbo Boonie Bears Bay in Qianwan New Area... These initiatives exemplify Ningbo's dynamic collaboration with CEEC in the digital domain.
Ningbo is actively advancing the intelligent transformation and digital evolution of its manufacturing sector. Qiyuan Robotics' commercial-grade indoor cleaning robot, now operational in a Bucharest supermarket, showcases China's cutting-edge millimeter-precision laser navigation technology to the world. The "Digital CEE" pavilion emerged as the expo's most compelling showcase of technological innovation. The expo featured a convergence of smart CEE products and Chinese tech enterprises, propelling China-CEE collaboration into the intelligent era with renewed dynamism. This development signals both parties' commitment to navigating vast new frontiers in the coming technological revolution.
Meanwhile, Ningbo Customs has been advancing digital transformation to provide robust support for trade facilitation, implementing the pilot project of "Smart Customs, Smart Borders, Smart Connectivity" cooperation initiative. To further enhance trade security and customs clearance efficiency, Ningbo Customs innovatively launched the "One-Stop Service for Import Clearance of CEEC Goods" application, offering end-to-end import process guidance. It also pioneered the pre-positioned warehouse supervision model for cross-border e-commerce exports, introduced the "Overseas Warehouse Registration Assistant" system, and established a standardized "Single Registration, Nationwide Validity" procedure for overseas warehouse filing, creating an institutional framework for seamless e-commerce exports to CEECs. Furthermore, the China-CEEC Customs Information Center—the only national-level institution of its kind—has, over its four years of operation, compiled and released 20,200 bilingual (Chinese-English) articles on customs policies, with its website receiving over 3.1 million visits.
The Silk Road flourishes with greenery, while digital intelligence connects the future. China-CEE cooperation will embark on a new chapter of innovation along the "shores of the East China Sea." Ningbo, a historic port city, will embrace partners from Central and Eastern Europe with greater openness, jointly pursuing green, intelligent, and sustainable development pathways to establish a New Quality Productive Forces corridor spanning Eurasia.
May 23, 2025, Zhejiang Daily
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of Zhejiang Daily. The Zhejiang Daily version shall prevail.
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