The third China International Consumer Products Expo commenced in the southern island province of Hainan on April 10.

The expo organizers have set aside a special section for Ningbo to display commodities it imports from Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC).

The expo, which will end on April 15, covers an exhibition area of 120,000 square meters, a 20 percent increase from the previous edition.

More than 3,100 brands from 65 countries and regions are participating in the expo, which has seen the debut of 300-plus brands and 1,000-plus products. The expo is expected to attract more than 50,000 buyers and professional visitors and draw over 300,000 visits.

Ningbo has been leveraging the event as an opportunity to show the world that it is the preferred place for CEEC commodities to enter China.

Characteristic CEEC commodities brought by the city to the expo include milk from Poland, wine from Hungary, cosmetics from Bulgaria, coffee from Serbia and olive oil from Greece.

Ningbo's imports from CEEC were valued at 2.69 billion yuan ($386.49 million) in the first two months of this year, rising by a whopping 84.9 percent year-on-year, official data from Ningbo Customs show.

Ningbo has streamlined customs clearance procedures for CEEC commodities, and this has partly fueled the robust growth in imports,l. The city is currently focused on turning itself into a demonstration area for China-CEEC economic and trade cooperation.

The third edition of China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair is slated to be held in the city from May 16 to 20.