Reporter's take: From "16+1" to "All-Europe": 2025 CEEC Expo evolves into gateway to continental cooperation

Fine red wine, freeze-dried fruits, and coffee - all from Serbia - are turning heads at this year's China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo in Ningbo. Visitors are getting a full-sensory taste of CEEC, while global procurement teams actively engage with global exhibitors to sign key trade deals. 

This year, the Expo continues to serve as a "golden corridor" linking Europe and Asia, with bustling national pavilions. Countries like Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Poland have brought a wide range of specialty products and dynamic exhibitors to the event, to seek more investment opportunities in key areas - spanning science, education, culture, tourism, and digital innovation.

However, what sets this edition apart is its broader ambition. The May 2025 Expo marks a strategic shift from a "16+1" framework to a more expansive partnership with all of Europe.

In a notable shift, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain—countries traditionally outside the CEEC framework—have joined the list of participating nations. Their presence is not just ceremonial. With national pavilions and leading consumer brands on display, these Western European players are treating the expo as a serious market opportunity and a stage for exploring new modes of cooperation with China.

This evolution reflects two concurrent dynamics: China's continued deepening of trade ties with CEE countries, and its desire to reframe the narrative around its economic outreach to Europe. In an era of shifting geopolitical alignments, trade friction, and economic downturns, the expo offers a contrasting vision—one rooted in pragmatic multilateralism, consumer-level connectivity, and cultural engagement.

From pavilions representing Poland, Hungary, and Slovenia, to booths showcasing French wine producers, Italian design firms, and German clean-tech startups, Western European exhibitors are here for the first time. For them, the CEEC Expo offers a unique vantage point: access to China's booming consumer base, exposure to new procurement channels, and a deeper understanding of how business is done across a different cultural and regulatory landscape.

What's striking is the diversity of motivation. Some see China as a growth market at a time when demand in their home countries is stagnant. Others are here because Chinese partners invited them, having found success with CEEC imports and now wanting to source more from "old Europe". Several exhibitors candidly admitted they hadn't previously considered Ningbo as a strategic destination—but now, they are planning return visits and even local partnerships.

The organizing committee, for its part, has leaned into this transformation. With 1.5 million yuan ($200,000) in discount vouchers distributed to the public, the Expo not only boosts product visibility but also creates instant feedback loops for European brands seeking market resonance. As a senior official from Germany noted, China's overtures to Europe need not be viewed through a zero-sum lens.

For China, the expansion of the China-CEEC Expo is also a powerful gesture. It signals that its openness to Europe is not limited to a handful of favored partners but spans much further. It invites all of Europe to participate in a shared economic future—one not defined solely by Brussels or Beijing, but co-created by businesses, cities, cultures, and people.

Ningbo is not only fulfilling its logistical role as a port city, but also embodying China's aspirations to build trusted economic corridors with the broader European continent. It's a platform - where trade policy meets local flavor, where regional outreach meets continental ambition, and where the next chapter of China-Europe relations might quietly be taking shape—not through grand summits, but through shared shelves and signed orders.