BEIJING -- The economic and trade cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries will become a new growth point for the China-Europe trade in the future, thanks to their strong complementarity and huge cooperative potential, according to government officials and entrepreneurs at the recent China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo.
Of the 60-odd countries along the "Belt and Road", the CEE countries account for a quarter. In 2015, trade volume between China and the CEE countries reached 56.2 billion U.S. dollars.
According to statistics, at present, the Chinese enterprises have invested more than 5 billion U.S. dollars in the CEE countries, while the 16 CEE countries have invested more than 1.2 billion U.S. dollars in China.
Due to the Expo platform, sales of the Botanicus organic skin care products have grown by leaps and bounds in the recent two years, which is expected to grow by 30% this year. Apart from the increase in consumption level, the consumption concept of the Chinese consumers has also changed, leading to the obvious demands for the green products, said Yu Ting, general manager assistant of the Botanicus China headquarters.
At the Expo, many high-tech projects were also displayed, including the nuclear power technology, medical equipment, clean energy, electric vehicle, naked-eye 3D technology and the smart city management system.
A small civil aircraft with light weight was showed at the Slovenia Pavilion. The Slovenian exhibitor said that the civil aircraft can complete many tasks that other airplanes cannot accomplish and applies to fields including agriculture, fire fighting and sports. The Chinese market has the huge potential and the product will surely make it in the market.
The Hungary's "Opening to the East" strategy happens to hold the same view with China's Belt and Road Initiative. Hungary is the first CEE country signing the memorandum with China on cooperation under the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, said Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.
Meanwhile, Chinese capital and enterprises are also optimistic about the CEE market. The CRRC Ningbo production base has put the first generation of the super-capacitor trolley bus into service in Ningbo and now shifts its focus to the European market.
The company will regard the CEE countries as a "bridgehead" to enter the European market, said Wang Xiang, the company's representative.
In the cooperation between China and the CEE countries, the Chinese private enterprises can play a big role. The private enterprises more adapting to the market operation rules can quickly enhance their internationalization level by international M&As and obtain more opportunities. It is a big challenge for them to not only manage the projects well, but also gain better profits, according to Hu Yuandong, Chief Representative of UNIDO-ITPO-China.
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