Benchmark for cross-regional trade cooperation

In late May, workers of Zhejiang Yueli Electrical Co, a home appliances manufacturer based in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, were seen moving with practiced precision inside a workshop at the company.

They were busy molding plastic casings, assembling motors, soldering circuit boards and conducting final tests on hair dryers before shipping the freshly packed items to Central and Eastern Europe.

Statistics from Ningbo Customs showed that the company's exports to Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) surged by 17.8 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2025, underscoring the growing demand for high-quality personal care appliances from these countries.

About 170 kilometers away from Ningbo, a submersible pump manufacturer based in Taizhou, Zhejiang, landed a water pump order worth $1 million from Poland in early May, marking its largest order to date in CEEC.

"To mitigate risks arising from unilateralism in recent years, we have been actively expanding our sales network in emerging markets and establishing partnerships in regions and countries such as Latin America, CEEC, South Africa and Indonesia," said Chen Yuqin, chairman of Zhejiang Redbud Pump Industry Co.

Both these companies have scheduled numerous factory visits in June and July with clients from CEEC, a common next step after expressing purchase intent at trade fairs, following their participation at the 4th China-CEEC Expo in Ningbo in late May.

The expo was not only an occasion for trade, technology and cultural exchanges, but also a microcosm of China and CEEC strengthening mutual trust and pursuing shared development.

The four-day trade fair attracted over 15,000 professional visitors last month, including more than 3,000 overseas buyers from 72 countries and regions, according to its organizers.

With many countries seeking ways to mitigate the impact of US trade policies, companies from China and the CEEC are actively strengthening and broadening their foothold in each other's markets, said Li Zhenli, deputy director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

CEEC presents a powerful blend of manufacturing prowess, innovative potential and access to the wider European market, said Ma Jianchun, president of the Beijing-based China Society for World Trade Organization Studies.

Combining China's robust industrial base and its growing demand for high-quality imports with the connectivity enabled by the China-Europe freight train service, Ma said that China and CEEC present significant synergies in areas such as green energy, digital technologies, healthcare and advanced manufacturing.

Richard Rasi, chairman of the Slovak National Council, echoed this sentiment. "Slovakia seeks to not only import goods from China, but also expand the presence of its own products and technologies in the Chinese market," he said.

Rasi also emphasized Slovakia's commitment to enhancing two-way trade and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in achieving greater development amid a competitive market environment.

Trade value between China and CEEC amounted to $142.3 billion in 2024, up 6.3 percent year-on-year — 2.5 percentage points higher than China's overall foreign trade growth rate, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

This trend continued its growth momentum in the first four months of this year as well, with bilateral trade rising 5.6 percent on a yearly basis to 329.68 billion yuan ($45.76 billion).

In addition to agricultural products such as wine, meat, dairy, sunflower oil, fruit and cereals, CEEC's exports to China include commodities and industrial goods like copper and iron ore, automotive components, tires, non-alloy steel products, electrical machinery, medical equipment and wood-based materials.

China mainly exports construction machinery, computers, manufacturing equipment, steel, textiles, garments and household appliances to CEEC. Other key exports include lighting products, smartphones, trains, trucks and passenger vehicles, as well as power storage systems and photovoltaic equipment.

Jiang Yu, special representative for China-CEEC Cooperation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed China's steadfast commitment to global development and upholding the international order, amid profound shifts in the international landscape and mounting challenges to global economic development.

"China will remain committed to pursuing high-quality development and advancing high-standard opening-up," Jiang said. "We will also promote mutually beneficial cooperation with countries worldwide, including those in Central and Eastern Europe, to share development opportunities and enhance stability and certainty in the global economy."

Jagoda Lazarevic, minister of domestic and foreign trade of Serbia, agreed.

Lazarevic noted that ever since the China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement — China's first FTA with a country in CEEC — had come into force last year, Serbia has witnessed a significant increase in trade volume with China, particularly in Serbian exports.

"In this era of trade disruption, we are dealing with supply chain breakdowns, tariff wars and a host of other factors that are severely impeding global trade flows. Europe is no exception and faces its own set of challenges," said Lazarevic. "So, diversification becomes essential."

Highlighting that Serbia is seeing a parallel surge in Chinese investment, she said this is not only growing in volume, but also diversifying across multiple sectors, such as mining, energy and the automotive industry. The trend of diversification is becoming more pronounced and is expanding steadily.

Chinese companies, such as Hisense Group, BYD Co Ltd and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, have been deepening their footprint in CEEC by ramping up investments and integrating their operations into local industrial chains, particularly in sectors like household appliances, electric vehicles and power battery manufacturing.

China's investment in CEEC exceeded $24 billion by May 9, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

Since the establishment of the cooperation mechanism between China and CEEC 13 years ago, both sides have worked together to ensure its steady progress, achieving tangible results and setting a benchmark for cross-regional cooperation in a globalized world, according to information released by the Ministry of Commerce.

They have set up more than 50 cooperation platforms and launched over 500 practical initiatives spanning transportation infrastructure, innovation, energy, culture, tourism and education.

These achievements have created a favorable environment for deeper commercial ties and more dynamic trade exchanges between China and CEEC, paving the way for businesses to leverage the opportunities on both sides.

Given the typically hard water in certain Central and Eastern European nations, Ningbo Hidrotek Co Ltd, a water purification equipment manufacturer in Ningbo, has developed an innovative dual-water outlet system equipped with reverse osmosis membranes and mineral-adding technology.

This ensures safe drinking water while retaining beneficial minerals, precisely catering to the demands of the local market, said Chen Dehuan, director of the company's brand unit.

"Our products have, to date, successfully entered markets in CEEC such as Poland and Bulgaria, becoming a popular brand for healthy drinking water in local households," said Chen.

From January to April this year, Ningbo Hidrotek exported more than 3.6 million yuan worth of water purification products to CEEC, marking a year-on-year increase of 45.7 percent.

According to data from Hangzhou Customs, Zhejiang province exported 30.81 billion yuan worth of electromechanical products to CEEC in the first four months, soaring 15.8 percent year-on-year, and accounting for 54.2 percent of the province's total exports to the region.

Not only Chinese companies, CJ (Shenyang) Biotech Co Ltd, a feed supplier based in Shenyang, Liaoning province, and a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, has seen strong demand from Poland and Serbia for feed additives. The company has actively expanded into the region and steadily increased its market share in CEEC.

The South Korean company shipped over 40 million yuan worth of feed additive products to the CEEC from China in the first four months, jumping 130 percent on a yearly basis, data from Shenyang Customs showed.

"We achieved a breakthrough with our first exports to Bulgaria earlier this year. We are confident about further expanding our presence in Central and Eastern Europe going forward," said Xiao Chuanhong, head of CJ (Shenyang) Biotech's export unit.