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June 2, 2015

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Home » City specials » Ningbo

Ningbo aims to spur China-CEEC synergy

By Feng Jianmin | June 2, 2015, Tuesday | Print Edition

CHINESE President Xi Jinping in 2013 put forward the “One Belt, One Road” to boost economic links between China and regions including the Middle East, Europe, Southeast Asia, Oceania and North Africa.

The initiative is spurring businessmen and governments across China to explore the vast opportunities beckoning in the other regions.

Ningbo, a coastal city in Zhejiang Province, is resolute to tap the “One Belt, One Road” initiative by holding the first China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo from June 8 to 12.

The expo, targeting central and eastern European countries, aims to boost cooperation and develop the Silk Road economy under the Belt and Road initiative.

Events will be held in the fields of investment, trade, forum and talent exchanges across borders.

Officials from Ningbo said they hope to strengthen the exchange and cooperation between China and CEEC and strive to become the permanent host of the expo.

“Ningbo has had a sound foundation working with central and eastern European countries,” said Zhang Yan, deputy secretary-general of the Ningbo municipal government. “So far, Ningbo has joined hands with 16 cities in 15 central and eastern European countries as twin cities. Cooperation is being strengthened in the fields of commerce, education, tourism and culture. The cooperation will help deepen the economic and cultural links between us.”

Links with 16 countries

The China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo is a sequel to the CEEC Products Fair Ningbo hosted last year.

The CEEC comprises Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.

This year, the expo organizers said nearly 200 companies from the 16 CEEC countries have confirmed their attendance at the consumer products fair which will be spread over 5,000 square meters.

They have also arranged more than 1,000 domestic buyers and more than 5,000 foreign merchants from 77 countries and regions.

Investment fairs will be held between companies, commerce associations and industrial parks, while there will be trade fairs on central and eastern European goods.

Talks will be held between e-commercial platforms and companies, and forums will be held on business development, governance and education.

Other cultural activities, including photography shows, painting exhibitions, tourism promotion fairs, and language talent exchange platforms will be launched during the expo.

Furthermore, the organizers will promote educational exchange activities during the expo. Ningbo is keen to attract more students from the CEEC to study in the city and to enhance academic and cultural exchanges.

The government said an official cooperation framework between China and CEEC and increasing familiarity between the two areas will direct more Chinese investment to the region.

Last year, US$2.44 billion in trade was done between Ningbo and the CEEC, nearly one-twentieth of the national volume.

So far, Ningbo has teamed up with countries in the region in more than 100 investment projects.

As China and CEEC last year officially set up an office to help boost cooperation, businesses can now work more closely under an established framework.

The CEEC is a relatively new region waiting to be further explored.

Ningbo is envisioned to become the first choice city for two-way investments and cultural exchanges between CEEC and China, Chinese outbound investment to CEEC is to reach US$100 million within five years.

Ningbo also aims to become the first choice for enterprises wishing to enter the Chinese market.

Guest of honor countries

Poland and Croatia have been selected as the guests of honor for the expo this year. Special celebrations will be held on June 9, Poland Day, and June 10, Croatia Day.

Schedules have been settled for the expo, arrangements for guests have been made, and the organizer is busy setting up the expo venue and preparing for simplified customs clearance mechanism for imported goods.

A number of government officials, including vice presidents, ministers and former top government leaders of Montenegro, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic, have already confirmed their participation in the expo.

Meanwhile, three master students studying at Ningbo University — Emanuel Sandu from Romania, Silviya Stoyanova Atanasova from Bulgaria and Helena Vikmane from Latvia — have been chosen as ambassadors for the expo.

The ambassadors said they were invited to attend the Week for Exchange of the Trade and Culture between Ningbo and CEEC last year. They will try their best to introduce Ningbo to the CEEC participants.

The expo is part of the 17th China Zhejiang Investment and Trade Symposium, an annual economic highlight of Ningbo that showcases the latest industrial developments, looks for business partners, and encourages large-scale communication between the participants and visitors.

The main event, “Zhejiang Summit,” part of this year’s symposium held between June 8 and 12, will attract 500 leaders from the world’s top-500 companies, leading industrial multinational enterprises, international business associations stationed in China, well-known experts and scholars. The summit will also attract the participation of executives and personnel from enterprises of 11 cities as well as development areas in Zhejiang.

The previous symposiums and exhibitions have witnessed the signing of 3,655 foreign-invested projects and US$48.34 billion in deals. The events have also made a total trade turnover of US$8.79 billion.

The symposium represents Ningbo’s outstanding position in opening up to the world. As of the end of 2014, a total of 2,048 foreign companies and organizations were established in the city.

A total of US$7.4 billion in outbound investment has been approved, and US$3.5 billion have already been invested in 112 countries and regions.

Ningbo


 

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