China-CEEC trade rose 11 per cent year on year to 580.12 billion yuan ($85.57 billion) in first-half 2026, 3.7 times the first-half 2012 level.
Chinese investment and Belt and Road projects improved connectivity, lifting demand; project-linked exports more than doubled.
Customs cooperation since 2021 has aimed to improve trade security and clearance through policy exchange and risk monitoring.
Lyu Daliang, spokesperson and director general of the Department of Statistics and Analysis of the GACC said: “We will continue to strengthen cooperation with our counterparts in CEEC and promote the steady and sustained development of economic and trade ties.”
He added Chinese investment in the region has increasingly supported bilateral trade, with Chinese companies setting up vehicle production and research facilities in Serbia and Poland, and battery plants in Hungary.
Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure projects have also boosted trade by improving regional connectivity. Several projects undertaken by Chinese companies in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other countries recently began construction, increasing demand for related Chinese products.
China’s exports linked to overseas contracted projects in the region more than doubled in the first half, while exports of construction machinery rose 22.3 per cent and rail transit equipment exports increased 57.3 per cent.
China’s customs authorities established the China-CEEC Customs Information Center in April 2021 under the China-CEEC cooperation framework.
Over the past five years, customs authorities on both sides have exchanged policy information, monitored trade risks and provided advisory services to improve trade security and customs clearance.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk
