Customs officials are on duty at the busy Ningbo Port on the night of April 23. [Photo/zj.zjol.com] 

The city of Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province saw a boom in trade with countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the first quarter of the year. 

According to statistics from Ningbo Customs, the city's trade with these countries totaled nearly 143 billion yuan ($21.25 billion) in the first three months, up 14.6 percent year on year and accounting for 36.6 percent of the city's total foreign trade during this period. 

Imports reached 54 billion yuan, up 11.7 percent, while exports 89 billion yuan, up 16.9 percent. 

As a converging point of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Ningbo plays a vital role in the BRI, and is becoming an increasingly important channel for products from Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) to enter the Chinese market.

Since 2015, the Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Center has been serving as the venue for the annual China-CEEC Expo, where thousands of products from CEEC are displayed, including milk from Poland, condiments from Slovenia, wine from Romania, beer from Czech Republic, and cocktails from Serbia.

Ningbo Customs has also launched "green channels" to ensure fast customs clearance for goods going to and from BRI countries and regions, so as to facilitate the city's trade with them.