Harnessing Digital Intelligence to Smooth the Path for Agri-Food Exports from CEECs to China
“Excellent! The market access status of CEEC agricultural and food products is now completely clear at a glance. This is terrific news for all our 120 member companies,” said Chen Weijun, Executive President of the Procurement Alliance of CEEC Commodity and representative of Yazi Food Ningbo Co., Ltd. upon discovering a new amazing feature on the familiar website of China-CEEC Customs Information Center. “The map-based interface of this application is highly intuitive. Information on market access requirements and registered companies for export to China is available in both Chinese and English. The data is comprehensive and up-to-date, and the fuzzy search function makes everything fast and easy to find.”
This new feature is the recently launched “Application Scenario for Access Information of Agri-Food Products Exported to China from CEECs” (hereinafter referred to as the “Application Scenario”). In 2025, as part of the Smart Customs development and "Smart Customs for Stronger Nation" initiative, Ningbo Customs has actively implemented key projects focused on priority areas with targeted measures under the General Administration of Customs’ “Smooth Silk Road” Operation - one of its six landmark initiatives - by innovatively developing this application scenario. It serves as a “digital bridge,” providing businesses with convenient access to policy information regarding market access requirements of agri-food products from CEECs.
01 From Challenge to Solution
As the first China-CEEC Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone in China, Ningbo continues to deepen and expand economic ties with the region, leading to increasingly frequent bilateral trade exchanges. Expanding exports of agri-food products from CEECs to China has always been a key focus of the cooperation, with more and more enterprises seeking to import high-quality agri-food products from these countries.
Which agri-food products are approved for export to China? What are the specific access policies? Which overseas manufacturers have completed the required export registration procedures and are eligible partners for cooperation? Can the products that enterprises are interested in be smoothly imported? Where can one find relevant information, and is there a unified and intuitive way to query it? These are among the first questions importers face when considering agri-food sourcing from CEECs.
02 Turning Pain Points into Highlights
Addressing these concerns from businesses, Ningbo Customs has leveraged digital intelligence to facilitate the export of agri-food products from CEECs to China.
After comprehensively consolidating and reviewing access information and query channels for CEEC agri-food products already published by the General Administration of Customs, and following thorough a series of preparatory steps including needs analysis, systematic and scientific aggregation of business data, thoughtful functional design, and repeated testing iterations, the Application Scenario for Access Information of Agri-Food Products Exported to China from CEECs was officially launched in May 2025 on the website of China-CEEC Customs Information Center during the 7th China-CEEC Dialogue on Customs, Inspection and Quarantine Cooperation. Through functional interoperability, the application scenario now integrates hot topics such as access information, policy interpretations, and clearance guidelines for agri-food products from CEECs, offering one-stop access and smoothing the channel for querying and consulting on relevant policies such as access requirement for agri-food products exported from CEECs to China.
03 Meeting Needs, Winning Praise
“User-friendly” is what truly matters. Ningbo Customs has helped businesses better utilize the application scenario’s various functions through live demonstrations and interactive Q&A sessions, earning positive feedback and widespread recognition.
“During the Dialogue, we actively introduced and functionally demonstrated the application to foreign guests from agricultural and Customs departments of CEECs, who provided feedback noting its convenience and practicality. We also recently presented it to Customs officers from various countries attending the Smart Customs Training Program for CEECs, where it was well received by participants,” stated Liang Qiping, Director of the Department of CEE Affairs of Ningbo Customs.
Ningbo Customs Officer Introduces How to Use the “Application Scenario for Access Information of Agri-Food Products Exported to China from CEECs” to Croatian Guests
Ningbo Customs Officer Demonstrates the Use of the “Application Scenario for Access Information of Agri-Food Products Exported to China from CEECs” to Enterprises
“Previously, I had to search across multiple websites for market access information on agri-food products from CEECs to China, and then contact foreign agencies to request enterprise referrals. It is a process that was very time-consuming. Now, all this information is available on this single platform,” said Chen Yi, General Manager of Ningbo Dijia Weida Business Trade Co., Ltd.“For instance, I was able to easily retrieve the list of registered overseas manufacturers for Bulgarian dairy products through this application scenario and have already established contact with relevant companies to initiate trade currently.”
Chen Yi, General Manager of Ningbo Dijia Weida Business Trade Co., Ltd., is querying Market Access Information of Agri-Food Products from CEECs to China
Next, Ningbo Customs will continue to optimize the application scenario, further enhancing the trade facilitation level for agri-food products exported from CEECs to China. This effort will contribute to better supporting the development of Ningbo’s China-CEEC Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone and advancing high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of Alayongguan. The Alayongguan version shall prevail.
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