Ningbo Manufacturers Push into Central, Eastern Europe to Fortify Supply Chains

By correspondents Ding Xiaojin and Chen Fan

As the year draws to a close, the smart production workshop at Ningbo SMR Huaxiang Automotive Mirrors Ltd. (SMR Ningbo) is operating at full capacity. Imported micromotors that recently arrived at the Port of Ningbo are moving rapidly through automated assembly lines, powering core components for automotive rearview mirrors. "From January to November this year, we imported 22.243 million yuan worth of electromechanical products from North Macedonia, with auto parts imports up 18-fold year-on-year," said the company's procurement manager. "Only with uninterrupted supplies of key raw materials can we run our production lines at full capacity."

As traditional supply chains face mounting pressure, Ningbo enterprises are demonstrating notable resilience in trade with emerging markets. A growing number of firms like SMR Ningbo are quietly reconfiguring their global sourcing footprints, moving away from single-market dependence toward accelerated "diversified sourcing" strategies that target Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and other new partners for cost-effective, stable alternatives.

CEE links Asian and European markets and serves as a manufacturing hub, forming a critical segment of the China-Europe automotive and pharmaceutical supply chains. Customs authorities along the China-Hungary-Serbia-Greece-North Macedonia "1+4" China-Europe Land-Sea Express Route are advancing coordinated regulatory and clearance procedures to support supply chain and logistics connectivity. Ningbo Customs, a key node in this network, operates through the China-CEEC Customs Information Center and has established dedicated CEE goods clearance channels both onsite and online to facilitate China-Europe industrial chain flows. In North Macedonia's case, Ningbo Customs data show the city's trade with the country grew 21.4% year-on-year in the January-November period. Electromechanical products dominate bilateral trade and are the primary driver of growth.

During the same period, Ningbo's trade with CEE countries hit 54.07 billion yuan, a 4.1% year-on-year rise. Imports totaled 8.88 billion yuan, with high-tech product imports showing notable growth at 83.44 million yuan, a 36.3% year-on-year increase. Exports stood at 45.19 billion yuan, with traditional export goods including electromechanical products and clothing maintaining their strength at 29.90 billion yuan and 2.27 billion yuan respectively, representing year-on-year gains of 12.0% and 17.5%. The "new three" products accelerated their expansion into CEE markets, with exports surging 42.6% year-on-year.

As a leading automotive mirror manufacturer in Ningbo, SMR Ningbo has steadily expanded its electromechanical product imports from North Macedonia in recent years. However, new markets bring new challenges, such as complex product classification and unfamiliar clearance procedures. In response, Ningbo Customs quickly mobilized a dedicated service team to conduct on-site research at enterprises, providing one-on-one policy briefings and declaration guidance on North Macedonia's electromechanical product import policies, tariff applications, and inspection standards. The team ensures prompt responses to complex issues and has proactively compiled declaration guidelines for core products such as micromotors and auto parts, helping businesses navigate clearance obstacles.

Addressing the concentrated import categories and tight production schedules characteristic of these enterprises, Ningbo Customs has further streamlined clearance procedures by actively promoting "advance declaration" protocols, reducing average clearance times and ensuring efficient delivery and timely production deployment of key components. The significant gains in import efficiency have enabled companies like SMR Ningbo to achieve explosive growth in auto parts imports, providing solid support for supply chain optimization and enhanced product competitiveness.

Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of cztv. The cztv version shall prevail.