The 1st China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair, and the 21st China Zhejiang Investment and Trade Fair, opened in Ningbo on the 8th. The exhibition attracted 1,186 domestic and foreign companies, and more than 20,000 government officials and merchants from China and CEEC countries, including more than 6,700 professional buyers from 22 countries and regions.
On the morning of the 9th, the China-CEEC Cooperation Forum was held. Hu Chunhua, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, attended the forum and delivered a keynote speech.
Since the start of cooperation between China and CEEC, said Hu Chunhua, cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results, especially in trade, investment, and infrastructure. It has played a significant role in promoting mutual benefit and win-win between China and CEEC and in deepening China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. China is willing to work together with CEEC to strengthen docking in development strategies and planning, expand trade exchanges, deepen investment and capacity cooperation, and accelerate the interconnection of infrastructure, so as to enhance the breadth and depth of pragmatic cooperation.
Hu Chunhua emphasized that China will unswervingly strengthen its opening up policy and be more and more opening. China will continue to reduce the negative list, promote the opening up of the modern service industry, manufacturing industry and agriculture, and accelerate the formulation of supporting laws and regulations for foreign investment law. It will strengthen international cooperation in intellectual property protection, expand the import of quality goods and services, and implement policies which aim at high-level trade and liberal and facilitated investment. We welcome CEEC enterprises to join hands with Chinese companies to seize the opportunity and tap potential, and push bilateral cooperation to a higher level.
Provincial Party Secretary Che Jun, and Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy Representative of International Trade Negotiation Yu Jianhua delivered a welcome speech. Jing Junhai, Governor of Jilin Province, the theme province of the exhibition, Sinkevičius, Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania, Vujanovic, Honorary President of Montenegro, Bratušek, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Tolušić, Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia, and Rasi, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister, delivered a speech respectively. Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor Yuan Jiajun presided over the meeting, and Zheng Zhajie, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Ningbo Municipal Party Committee, attended the meeting.
In his speech, Che Jun said that although Zhejiang and CEEC are located at the two ends of the “Belt and Road”, our friendship has a long history and a profound foundation for exchanges and cooperation. At present, it can be said that we have the best opportunity for further exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. With the in-depth promotion of the “Belt and Road” initiative, and the upgrade of the China-CEEC Expo to a national exhibition, Zhejiang and CEEC have new opportunities for joint development and win-win cooperation, which will surely be expanded to a broader scope at a higher level. The China-CEEC Cooperation Forum is an important exchange platform between us and CEEC. We sincerely hope that everyone will have a happy stay in Zhejiang, and harvest the fruits of cooperation and full friendship.
Before attending the forum, Hu Chunhua visited some of the pavilions of the 1st China-CEEC Expo and International Consumer Goods Fair, and met with Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Rasi, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Tolušić, Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister Bratušek and Honorary President of Montenegro Vujanovic.
Since the beginning of this year, the China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo has been officially renamed as the China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Expo, and has been upgraded to a national-level foreign-related exhibition. With the theme of “Deepening Openness, Cooperation, Mutual Benefit and Win-Win”, this year's exhibition will highlight the characteristics of import and going out, and will hold more than 20 events in four major sections, including conference forums, economic and trade negotiations, trade exhibitions and cultural exchanges. The Belt and Road Initiative countries will share new opportunities for high-level cooperation and create a new chapter of high-quality mutual benefit and win-win.
Leaders of relevant state departments, Provincial and Ningbo leaders Chen Jinbiao, Zhu Guoxian, Zhu Congjiu, Wang Wenxu, Qi Dongyao, political leaders of Central and Eastern Europe and diplomatic envoys in China, representatives of international friends, provincial leaders, municipal delegations and domestic and foreign merchants participated in the forum.
print close
