On May 22, the Chinese market welcomed Bulgarian saffron and Croatian tuna, expanding the roster of agricultural and food products from Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) that are now available to Chinese consumers. This development was announced during the fourth China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair, which took place in Ningbo, located in Zhejiang Province.

The approval for import access of these products is part of a broader trend, as China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) has revealed that 126 types of agricultural and food products from CEECs have received clearance to enter the Chinese market.

In recent years, China has been proactive in streamlining its approval processes and enhancing customs clearance efficiency, which has allowed a variety of CEEC delicacies, including Polish amber beer and Latvian canned fish, to penetrate the Chinese market with greater ease.

This growing cooperation comes at a time of complex international relations, with GAC deputy chief Zhao Zenglian noting that the China-CEEC partnership is contributing to greater stability and vitality within the global economy.

The expansion of agricultural imports from CEECs has played a significant role in boosting bilateral trade. Customs data indicates that trade between China and CEECs reached approximately 142.27 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of 6.3 percent, which outpaces China's overall import-export growth by 2.5 percentage points.