In the first quarter of this year, trade between China and Central and Eastern European Countries jumped over 50 percent to more than 30 billion U.S. dollars. And in the same period, China's imports from CEECs reached over 8 billion dollars, up 44.7 percent year on year. As our reporter Meng Qingsheng finds out, bilateral trade has gained new momentum amid backlash of the pandemic. 

This mask is made with nanofibers coated with a layer of accelerated copper oxide. That means it can kill viruses and be used over an extended period of time. The product was designed by RESPILON Group in the Czech Republic last year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That's also when the company opened its Chengdu office, in southwest China.

JAKUB SKOPEK China Country Manager RESPILON Group "More and more people are now paying attention to their health and safety. And we believe that more and more people are open to spend more money on protecting themselves and their loved ones. So we believe that this experience, however unpleasant, does provide opportunities for companies like ours and others."

Last year, this central European company worked with Chinese partners to produce more than five million masks. It's a success story made possible by the political links - and transport links - that connect China and the Czech Republic.

The Czech Consul General in Chengdu says the arrival of direct flights between the two countries has gone a long way towards strengthening cultural and trade ties.

KATERINA VOVKOVA Consul General, Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Chengdu "We really hope that the potential is in west and south China. So we believe that we can match Chinese interests, and our interests. And we'd like to bring Czech companies into southwest China."

Nine years ago, China and 17 Central and Eastern European countries decided to forge closer political and economic ties. Since then, trade between the two regions has soared rising by an average of 8 percent a year.

MENG QINGSHENG Chengdu, Sichuan Province "Last year, China's foreign trade with the Central and Eastern European countries increased by 8.4 percent year on year. And for the first time, it surpassed 100 billion U.S. dollars. The growth outpaced China's trade with the European Union over the same period."

In April, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang spoke at a business and innovation center for China-Europe Cooperation in Chengdu where he pledged to push ahead with China's plan to open itself up and offer foreign businesses a level playing field.

Slovakia is keen to take Premier Li up on that offer. Last month the country set up a national pavilion at an Expo in North-west China. The Slovakian ambassador says he hopes to dramatically expand the range of exports his country sends to China.

DUSAN BELLA Ambassador of Slovak Republic to China "Almost 90 percent of our exports are cars. We'd like to add commodities that might be with interests, starting from food. Then maybe some chemicals, maybe some glass and crystal. I hope there will be more and more Chinese investors coming to Slovakia, and more and more Chinese tourists coming to Slovakia."

For RESPILON Group, the challenge is convincing Chinese customers that its high-end face masks are worth the higher price.

JAKUB SKOPEK China Country Manager RESPILON Group "The challenge is to explain to customers the benefits and advantages of investing a little bit more into their health. We've been developing our online channels. We offer our products on several major Chinese e-commerce platforms like Taobao and WeChat. And at the same time, we're developing other channels especially for the window screens, so we will work with large Chinese partners with much richer clients."

The nanofibers on this RESPILON window screen are able to filter out – not just viruses – but also allergens and air pollution. It's a hot product on the Chinese market snapped up by customers in Beijing and Tianjin. And its success looks set to grow. The company plans to expand into ten Chinese cities by the end of the year.

Meng Qingsheng, CGTN, Chengdu, Sichuan Province.