Ningbo, May 22 (Reporter: Ouyang Jie)—At the 7th China–CEEC Dialogue on Customs, Inspection and Quarantine Cooperation, it was revealed that customs authorities have significantly expedited the quarantine approval process for agricultural and food products from CEECs in recent years. To date, 126 kinds of agricultural and food products from 14 CEECs have been granted market access, and 3,430 overseas agricultural enterprises have been registered cumulatively. In 2024, the total bilateral trade value between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) reached USD 142.27 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.3%, which is 2.5 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate of China's imports and exports.
During the dialogue, participants engaged in thorough discussions on key topics including the development of smart customs and the application of high-tech innovations in customs reform, quarantine access and food safety standards for agricultural products from CEECs, strengthening the resilience of global supply chains, and the "Green Channel" initiative for streamlined exports from CEECs to China.
Participants acknowledged that customs and inspection-quarantine authorities bear the dual mission of safeguarding national borders while fostering economic growth. In addressing new challenges posed by economic globalization, they emphasized the strategic imperative of enhanced customs inspection-quarantine collaboration. All parties reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to multilateralism, pledging to actively advance free trade and economic globalization. They agreed to expand international customs cooperation through progressive institutional openness in rules, regulations, management frameworks, and standards. Collectively, they resolved to serve as: staunch advocates for economic globalization and trade liberalization; dedicated protectors of China-EU trade security and facilitation; and committed implementers of modernization in global customs inspection-quarantine governance.
Zhao Zenglian, Deputy Director of GACC, emphasized the need to fully leverage platforms such as the World Customs Organization and the Cooperation Mechanism between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) to enhance the sharing and joint analysis of food safety risk information. He also stressed strengthening exchanges and collaboration in testing technologies and standards, promoting mutual recognition of test results, interoperability of traceability data, and coordinated emergency response, as well as establishing a full-chain responsibility system "from farm to table".
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of People's Daily. The People's Daily version shall prevail.