Ningbo Zhoushan Port in East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: nbfb0574] 

The trade volume between Ningbo and 17 Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) totaled 8.85 billion yuan ($1.36 billion) in the first quarter, representing a year-on-year growth of 57.7 percent.

Specifically, the city's exports to CEEC stood at 6.73 billion yuan, up 33.5 percent year-on-year, while imports surged 269.1 percent to 2.12 billion yuan.

From January to March, its general trade with CEEC soared 62.8 percent year-on-year to 8.4 billion yuan, accounting for 95 percent of the total over the period.

Private enterprises are still the main engine fueling the growth momentum as they tap business opportunities spawned by closer China-CEEC trade links. Their trade volume with the 17 countries grew 61.9 percent to 6.98 billion yuan, making up 78.9 percent of the city's total, 2.1 percentage points higher than the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the figure for foreign-funded companies and State-owned enterprises stood at 1.54 billion yuan and 320 million yuan over the period, up 46.5 percent and 33.7 percent respectively.

Twelve of the 17 Central and Eastern European countries saw positive growth in trade with Ningbo over the three-month period. The top five trading partners were Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary.

Exports from Ningbo to CEEC were primarily mechanical and electrical products, labor-intensive products and high-tech products.

From January to March, Ningbo's exports of mechanical and electrical products to CEEC reached 4.67 billion yuan, up 43.6 percent year-on-year. 

Meanwhile, the city's imports of consumer goods from CEEC registered a 16.6-fold increase to 1.3 billion yuan, accounting for more than 60 percent of the total. Specifically, passenger cars worth 1.14 billion yuan were imported by Ningbo during the period.

This year, Ningbo is set to host a series of China-CEEC cooperation events. The city has been designated the host city for the China-CEEC Expo, the China-CEEC Ministerial Meeting on Promoting Trade and Economic Cooperation, and the China-CEEC Mayors Forum.