After the Second Ministerial Conference of China and Central and Eastern European Countries on Promoting Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and the ministers and representatives from CEE Countries jointly attended the news conference, introducing the conference and its fruits, and answering questions from the media.
Gao Hucheng said that to implement the Chinese - Central and Eastern European countries Cooperation Suzhou Outline jointly released by Premier Li Keqiang and the leaders of CEE countries last November, the conference focused on the topic of “based on a new starting point, creating new chapter for 16+1 trade and economic cooperation”, exchanged views on issues concerning expanding bilateral trade and investment, promoting capacity and equipment manufacturing cooperation, innovating financing model, boosting infrastructure construction and pushing connectivity cooperation. Extensive consensuses have been reached.
Gao Hucheng introduced four main fruits:
1. Releasing the Ningbo Declaration for the first time. With comprehensive, balanced and objective contents, the Declaration considered the interest and concern of all sides, gathered their consensus, reflected their wisdom and contributions of all sides on core issues of the “16+1 trade and economic cooperation” such as expanding the size of trade and investment, strengthening connectivity construction, and promoting small and medium-sized enterprises cooperation. It’s an important document to guide the cooperation and development of all parties in the coming period of time.
2. Compiling the Achievement List of the Trade and Economic Cooperation between China and CEEC Countries for the first time. The Chinese side concluded the achievements in bilateral trade and economic areas since the first Ministerial Conference of China and Central and Eastern European Countries on Promoting Trade and Economic Cooperation in 2014. Within only two years, we have made remarkable achievements in bilateral cooperation and there is great potential in the future. We hope the two sides will seize the opportunity and continue to strengthen their practical cooperation in trade and economic areas.
3. Holding the matchmaking meeting for the first time, including matchmaking meetings of the subsidiary of agricultural products, the light industrial products, and the investment negotiations.. At the matchmaking meeting on agricultural and light industrial products held on the afternoon of June 8, over 200 purchasers from China and more than 100 exhibitors from CEEC countries held in-depth talks and docking activities. On June 10, China-CEEC Investment Matchmaking Meeting will be held with more than 500 participants as is predicted. 243 investment projects will be promoted, covering real estate, energy, infrastructure construction, hi-tech, machine manufacturing and logistics. In addition, the Ningbo Municipal People’s Government will host the ceremony of signing China-CEEC cooperation projects on the afternoon of June 9. According to the incomplete statistics, there will be 26 business cooperation agreements officially signed with a total value of US$330 million.
4. Holding the Dialogue on China-CEEC Quality Inspection Cooperation for the first time. In order to promote the quality inspection and quarantine of CEEC’s agricultural and sideline products exporting to China, Deputy Director of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine led a delegation to talk with the representatives from CEEC on relevant issues and exchanged ideas on June 8 and achieved good results. That’s the special arrangement for this conference made by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and Ningbo Municipal People’s Government.
Gao Hucheng said this meeting gathered the consensuses on cooperation, clarified the direction and achieved expected results. We believed the “16+1” ministerial conference on promoting trade and economic cooperation will play an active role in enhancing trade and economic cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries.
