"SKY IS THE LIMIT"

"The customer base here in China is huge. I see people are hungry to get the information about high-end, nutritious food, so I see market potential here," Petr Kovanik, owner of a Prague-based chocolate company, told Xinhua at a newly-built venue of the just-concluded China-CEEC expo.

Like Kovanik, many manufacturers, distributors and business insiders are bullish on China's growing sales and investment opportunities, made possible through upgraded logistics under the BRI framework.

"What impressed me most is the ever faster labeling process for imported wines and ever faster shipments of products due to the excellent logistics environment in China," Liakos Constantinos, co-founder of Hellenic Agora Trading Ltd., a Greek wine importer and distributor in China, told Xinhua.

"I am very upbeat about the Chinese market. Alcohol consumption is closely related to economic prosperity. As the Chinese economy continues to grow, so will our business," Constantinos said.

"Our sales in China grew steadily, and export channels expanded despite the pandemic," said Slovakian wine exporter Peter Lisicky, adding that he sees great market potential in China and expects a larger consumer base, probably in central China.

A visitor selects wine at the China-Central & Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

Previously, wine transport to Chinese port cities relied on sea freight. However, with the development of the BRI and railways, numerous wine traders are considering expanding their business to other regions within China.  

"Bosnia and Herzegovina has broad prospects for cooperation with China and other CEECs in energy, infrastructure, green economic transformation and clean energy. We envision more cooperation projects in the future," said Zdravko Marinkovic, president of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to Yu Yuantang, a Chinese Ministry of Commerce official, China and the CEECs play a crucial role in the global industrial and supply chains as key partners in the BRI. They exhibit high economic complementarity, smooth connectivity, and dynamic two-way investments.

Zahari Zahariev, chairman of Bulgaria National Association for the Belt and Road, underscored the "enormous opportunities" in renewable energy cooperation with China, a leader in the area of photovoltaics, believing that there is potential for further cooperation with China in public goods projects, such as waste disposal, transport and medical care.

Peto, president of the Hungarian-Chinese Chamber of Economy, said China's intention to increase imports from CEECs is critical under the current global economic landscape.

Peto said the CEECs are fully aware that the benefits of the BRI will not be handed to them on a silver platter and that they must work together actively to achieve prosperity.