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.