Have China’s central and eastern European trade ambitions reached the end of the line, and will bilateral deals fill the gap?
- Trade between the two regions and China has grown by an average of 8.1 per cent a year since mechanism was established
- But Shanghai-based expert says Beijing now realises it is not possible to deal with so many countries that are so different all at once
A big Polish chicken producer has been knocking on China’s door for eight years without selling a single drumstick, but hope springs eternal according to one of its representatives.
It has yet to surmount China’s strict import rules for meat and poultry and its tortuous application processes for agricultural imports.
“They gave optimism, they gave hope, but not a timeline,” Koztowski said after his latest meeting with Chinese counterparts.
“We are not giving up, we still need to try. China is a very big market.”
02:58
China announces US$3.8 billion Belt and Road expansion in Central Asia
The Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), also known as the CEE, includes the likes of Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
The Polish government said it had pushed for “a change in China’s approach” on meat and poultry, according to a statement issued after a meeting with Chinese officials in April.
China has yet to resume poultry imports from multiple countries where bird flu cases were once found, despite lifting official bans.