Lying in the archives of Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo city, there is a special guestbook filled with “greetings from Central and Eastern Europe”.

“Books can travel through time and link our souls with the sages of the past. With its impressive book collections, Tianyi Pavilion is such a ‘time tunnel’. This trip to Ningbo will be etched in my soul as well," wrote Serbian writer Vojislav Kahanovic in the guestbook. He was among a group of 25 writers from Central and Eastern Europe invited to attend a series of literary exchanges at Tianyi Pavilion in September 2018.

Kahanovic’s message is just one of the many “special messages” from Central and Eastern Europe recorded in the guestbook and a testament to the consolidation of traditional friendship between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) since the two sides established cooperation mechanism more than a decade ago. It is also a result of Ningbo’s commitment to deepening reform and opening-up. As the second China and Central and Eastern European Countries Expo, or China-CEEC Expo, opens in Ningbo, cultural and people-to-people exchanges will be further boosted.

Geographically, Central and Eastern Europe roughly covers an area extending from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south, and is an important transit point connecting Western and Northern Europe. In fact, most of the CEEC were among the first to recognize the People’s Republic of China. A key port along the Belt and Road, Ningbo city, on the other hand, has become a “golden channel” through which China and CEEC cooperate in trade, investment and many other areas.

As the only demonstration zone for China-CEEC trade cooperation set up in June 2018, Ningbo has been attracting Central and Eastern European investors since then. Among the many collaborative projects that have been implemented, one of the most notable is the joint venture between Ningbo Menovo Pharmaceutical and Krka, Slovenia’s largest pharmaceutical company; through this joint venture, Krka is able to bring its advanced technology and quality products to the vast Chinese market.

Groglass, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of anti-reflective coatings on glass headquartered in Latvia, is also looking for Chinese partners through online trade fairs held in Ningbo.

By the end of 2020, actual investment from CEEC in Ningbo reached 563 million US dollars, and actual investment from Ningbo in CEEC reached 988 million US dollars. Milk from Poland, rose water from Bulgaria, crystals from Czech, Lego toys from Hungary, coffee machines from Romania…more and more Central and Eastern European products are introduced into Ningbo, and into China via Ningbo. “They are among those that are most popular with our customers,” according to Ningbo Leadgo E-Commerce Co. Ltd., a company specialized in cross-border e-commerce: its import volume from CEEC increased by 150% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021.

Indeed, Ningbo’s overall import and export to CEEC in the first quarter of 2021 stood at 11.96 billion yuan, up 48.8% year-on-year; in fact, its import growth rate reached an unprecedented 241.2%. “We’ve been doing import and export business with Poland since graduation,” said Huang Dongdong, CEO of Ningbo Kevi Trade Co. Ltd., “and we came to Ningbo in 2014 after learning of the exhibition for products from the CEEC, and have settled down in the city without hesitation.” Huang’s company is now importing over 10,000 helmets from Poland every year, and more than 90% of firefighters in Jiangsu province wear the helmet, which can withstand not only intense heat but also the impact of heavy objects.

Kevi’s burgeoning business has also benefited from the Permanent Exhibition of CEEC Featured Commodities in Ningbo, China’s largest CEEC trade promotion platform with the most diversified products. A total of 36 direct selling centers have been set up all over China through the platform, bringing all sorts of goods in Ningbo’s CEEC trade logistics center directly to the customers.

While Ningbo’s import from the CEEC is booming, its export to the area is experiencing steady progress as well. For instance, private businesses in Cixi district have been making considerable inroads into the CEEC market since early 2021, thanks to the policy support of the Belt and Road Initiative. The first quarter of 2021 saw Cixi’s export to CEEC grow by 48.93%, with the total export volume standing at 124 million yuan. In the same period, Cixi saw the value of its auto parts export to Hungary and Slovakia, among other Central and Eastern European countries, exceeded 20 million, a 61.76% year-on-year increase.

Apart from trade and investment, cultural exchanges and communications constitute another major part of cooperation between China and CEEC. Ningbo has also taken the lead in this regard. A series of cultural events, including food festivals, painting exhibitions and performances, has been held. Right now, the “CEEC Brands Cultural Month” is underway, which it is hoped will improve the public’s awareness of brands from CEEC and help them learn more about the region’s culture.

At present, Ningbo has established friendly relations with 22 cities in Central and Eastern Europe, covering all 17 countries in the area, and its colleges and universities have established cooperative or sister school relations with 78 colleges and universities in Central and Eastern Europe. As Vassilis Karamizanis, chairman of the board of directors of the Greek National Opera, once said: “Culture and arts are the best ways to show people’s emotions, the national spirit, its ideology and history. They will help deepen mutual understanding and friendship between people from different countries.”