The 4th China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo & International Consumer Goods Expo concluded yesterday in Ningbo, China. Spanning four days under the theme “New Visions for the Future”, the Expo serves as a high-level platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and CEEC. Jiaxing hired 40 exhibition booths and its 30 enterprises and over 300 procurement delegates attended the Expo, and played its special role at this global trade expo.

This year’s expo set a new record, covering 80,000 square meters of exhibition space and attracting 3,000 overseas purchasers from 72 countries and regions. Focusing on new quality productive forces, Jiaxing exhibited its smart and green products in home appliances, luggage, baby carriages and textiles. It organized procurement delegations to source specialty goods like  Hungarian top-end down products, with expected purchases exceeding 500 million yuan. The Expo will help accelerate the entry of premium CEEC’s goods into Jiaxing’s markets and Jiaxing’s goods going overseas.

At the “Investing in Zhejiang” promotion event, Jiaxing signed three cooperation projects, with the number ranking first in Zhejiang (tying with Hangzhou and Ningbo), and Jiaxing’s foreign-invested projects accounted for 40% of the total of Zhejiang. Key projects in hydrogen energy, new energy vehicles and high-end equipment manufacturing underscore Jiaxing’s effective innovation-driven industrial upgrading paths. Jiaxing’s foreign-invested companies such as Comer Mechanical and Chemical Ltd., and Chemetall utilized the Expo to deepen their global supply chain integration through round-table dialogues and technical exchanges, injecting fresh momentum into Jiaxing’s open economy.

Beyond serving as a “fast track” for CEEC’s goods entering China, the Expo has been upgraded to the “CEEC+”, attracted exhibitors from nine other countries to attend including the UK, France and Germany, and expanded cooperation with international organizations like World Bank and European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. Jiaxing’s participants proactively engaged with global leaders in AI and advanced manufacturing to accelerate the growth of its emerging industries. Enhanced logistics networks such as Southern Corridor of China-Europe Railway Express and Greece’s Piraeus Port will further pave the way for Jiaxing’s enterprises to expand globally.

China-CEEC trade has grown at an annual average rate of 8.8% over the past decade, and reached a record, i.e., $142.3 billion in 2024. Taking the Expo as a valuable opportunity, Jiaxing aims to boost dual circulation of consumption and industries and  strengthen the advanced manufacturing sector through introducing  investment projects and enhancing technical cooperation.  “Jiaxing will amplify its advantages in location, industrial development and open economy to build a higher-level ‘CEEC+’ cooperation ecosystem and make Jiaxing’s contributions to global supply chain stability,” said an official from Bureau of Commerce of Jiaxing.

This transcontinental collaboration is charting a new blueprint for Jiaxing’s open economy. Through close cooperation with CEEC, Jiaxing is marching toward a more promising future.