Staff showcase characteristic foods from Hungary at a special cultural exchange event - Sweet Date on the Bite - on the sideline of the third China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair, on May 15, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of the expo organizer

A number of Hungarian exhibitors have flocked to Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province to showcase their most typical and high-quality products and services amid comprehensively expanding bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

At the third China-Central & Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo, which kicked off on Tuesday in Ningbo, a 456-square meter Hungarian pavilion held an opening ceremony, and put a wide array of products on display from soccer tables and touch-screen "Magic Walls," to high-end bedding, wine and snacks.

Some Hungarian beef exporters are also attending this year's expo, with their products showcased in the agri-food area, Gabor Jenei, director of the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency, said at the ceremony.

At a sideline event under the expo on Tuesday, Ningbo Lianbang Changyun International Trade Co signed a purchasing deal with a Hungarian beef exporter, and Ningbo Sanxing Smart Electric Co signed a strategic cooperation project with Hungarian ODD Consulting.

A total of 35 Hungarian companies came to Ningbo to attend the expo this year. Hungarian companies have shown increasing interest and enthusiasm in presenting their products and services to the Chinese market, according to Jenei.

"It is our third time participating the expo and we are very grateful that Ningbo offers such a valuable platform for us to promote our products," a Hungarian wine exhibitor surnamed Wang told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"Through attending the expo, we have found that our products are well-liked by Chinese consumers," Wang said, attributing the increasing popularity to a taste that caters to Chinese people and their growing consumption ability.

Holding high expectations for the Chinese market, Wang noted that she hopes to establish connections with more agencies at the expo so as to expand their presence all over the country.

China and Hungary have seen enhancing cooperation in various areas over recent years. Two Chinese battery giants - CATL and EVE Power - have announced plans to build new battery factories in Debrecen, a city in eastern Hungary.

As the host city of the expo, Ningbo has shown great vitality in economic, trade, cultural and other exchanges with Hungary, Li Guanding, a vice mayor of Ningbo, said at the opening ceremony of the Hungarian pavilion.

In 2022, trade between Ningbo and Hungary reached 3.65 billion yuan ($524 million), an increase of 36.4 percent year-on-year, and companies from Ningbo also have seen fruitful results from investing in Hungary, Li said.

The Ningbo CEEC Industrial Cooperation Park set up an innovation base in Budapest, capital of Hungary in 2021 to promote practical cooperation in science, technology, education and other fields, according to Li.

China and Hungary are good friends and partners that can stand tests, and bilateral relations have entered their best period in history, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said during a meeting with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Beijing on Monday.

Szijjarto noted that Hungary opposes "decoupling" from China, and will continue to shore the continuously deepening and strengthening bilateral relationship while welcoming Chinese investment, as the nation regards China as a strategic cooperative partner and an important development market.