Officials introduce the upcoming China-CEEC Expo at a news conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on May 24. [Phoho/zjol.com.cn]

The number of participants and the scale of the 4th China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo (China-CEEC Expo), which will be held in Ningbo, Zhejiang province from June 7 to 10, are expected to hit a new high, according to a news conference on May 24.

Themed around "opening-up and high-quality development", the organizers of this year's expo, along with the 20th China Zhejiang Investment & Trade Symposium and the 17th China International Consumer Goods Fair, have plans to expand the scale of exhibitions and invite 30,000 Chinese and foreign traders.

With an exhibition area of 84,000 square meters, the expo will set up 310 booths, an increase of 40 percent and 10 percent respectively compared with last year. Additionally, a total of 28 activities, including conferences, forums, investment symposiums, exhibitions and cultural talks, will be organized.

It is hoped that the China-CEEC Expo will serve as a quality platform for Ningbo to strengthen its ties with countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and facilitate cooperation with 16 CEE countries.

"At present, Ningbo is becoming the first choice for Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to enter into the Chinese market," said Gang Yong from the Ningbo Municipal Commission of Commerce.

As the host city of the event since 2015, Ningbo has enjoyed robust growth in trade with the CEE countries. In 2017, the total value of all imports and exports between the city and the 16 CEE countries reached 19.79 billion yuan ($310 million), a year-on-year increase of 26.8 percent.