Customers purchase products at the China-CEEC Expo in Ningbo, East China’s Zhejiang Province on June 9. (Photo by Yang Hui from Global Times)

Attendees from both Chinese and European governments expressed hopes to strengthen cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) at the China-CEEC Cooperation Forum held on June 9 in Ningbo, East China’s Zhejiang Province.

They would like to use the China-CEEC Expo as a platform to help products and services from their countries find consumers in the Chinese market.

In addition to food and tourism, blockchain, fintech and digital payment were highlighted by the officials.

Michaela Kralovicova, a consultant for Chinese market entry for a company in Slovakia, told the Global Times that she hopes her company, Milsy, can find a good partner and distributor in China soon so the company can explore the market.

Milsy offers traditional milk, yoghurt and cheese products.

“We were excited when the news came in April that dairy products from Slovakia can be exported to China when the two governments reached an agreement,” she said.

“We have already gotten a Chinese brand name for our company, and we are open to adjusting the flavor and packaging of our products to meet Chinese consumers’ demand,” Kralovicova added.

Akmal Khudaykulov from Croatia was also confident about the Chinese market for his company, which specializes in food, chocolate and wine. The company is promoting a new blackberry wine at the expo and hopes the new fruit wine can offer Chinese customers another tasty option.

The forum is part of the ongoing First China-Central and Eastern European Countries Expo and International Consumer Goods Fair.

Twenty projects with a total investment of more than $14.3 billion have been signed at the Zhejiang Provincial Promotion Conference on the Belt and Road Construction on June 8, which was also part of the five-day expo.

Projects in the fields of auto manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, energy development, and zone infrastructure were signed between Chinese companies and institutions and companies in 12 countries and regions, including Luxembourg, Indonesia and Congo.

According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the total trade volume between China and Central and Eastern European countries reached $28.55 billion in the first four months this year, up 7.9 percent year on year.