CANGZHOU, China: The 4th China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) (Cangzhou) Small and Medium-Sized (SME) Cooperation Forum kicked off on December 15 in Cangzhou, north China's Hebei Province, announced the Cangzhou municipal government.
It is co-hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT) and Hebei Province and backed by the CEEC Secretariat. The forum is with "New Cooperation Opportunities for China-CEEC and it is New Future for SME as its purpose.
Hebei Governor Wang Zhengpu made a welcome speech at the forum. He said that China-CEEC (Cangzhou) SME Cooperation Zone serves as an essential window for opening up to CEEC. It is China's first SME cooperation zone exclusive to CEEC.
"We sincerely welcome all friends at home and abroad to invest in Hebei," noted Wang, adding that the province attaches great importance to down-to-earth cooperation with CEEC and constantly presents new highlights in seeking multi-faceted cooperation.
Through earlier preparations and negotiation, this forum has accomplished 105 cooperation deals with a total contractual investment of 136.769 billion yuan (about 19.5 billion US dollars), ranging from equipment manufacturing, new materials, new energy, foreign trade, education cooperation, and more.
The cooperation forum serves as a communication platform for SMEs in China and CEEC and thus further deepened their cooperation in various fields. It is truly an influential and competitive high-end inclusive platform for both sides.
The China-CEEC (Cangzhou) SME Cooperation Forum has been successfully held for three consecutive years since 2018, with a total investment of 31.689 billion yuan (about 4.52 billion US dollars), 48 cooperation memoranda, and 53 cooperation agreements achieved.
Cangzhou, at the northern starting point of the "Ancient Maritime Silk Road" and with the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through the whole city, is renowned for its prosperous commerce and trade since ancient.
Recently, Cangzhou has strived to nurture a favorable business environment for foreign businesses by building up international financial services and optimizing an efficient and transparent administrative atmosphere. The city's GDP exceeded 400 billion yuan (about 57 billion US dollars) in 2021, ranking the 66th in the country.
Cangzhou city and Hebei province, taking China-CEEC (Cangzhou) SME Cooperation Forum as an opportunity, will continue to carry out in-depth cooperation with enterprises from CEEC. The city and the province will provide high-caliber supporting services and an optimal business environment, to facilitate more cooperation projects to settle down here.
Image: Municipal Government of Cangzhou