Ningbo issues coupons to boost CEEC commodity sales

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province will issue 5 million yuan ($769,230) worth of coupons to boost the sales of commodities from Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) countries.

The coupons, which are slated to be released from May 20, are valid until June 23.

Both locals and foreigners are eligible to apply for the coupons, which can be used in online platforms and offline venues including the CEEC's Products Permanent Exhibition Hall in the city.

There will be general coupons, special coupons and coupons that can only be used in the exhibition hall.

The general coupons have five face values, with which one can save up to 300 yuan after spending 1,000 yuan, while the special coupons with higher face value are limited to purchases of certain commodities such as crystal and beeswax.

To date, more than 40 companies from the city have confirmed their participation in the campaign, putting nearly 14,000 CEEC goods, including rose essential oil from Bulgaria, yogurt mask from Greece, milk from Poland, wine from Romania and coffee from Serbia, up for sale.

Ningbo has forged increasingly closer ties with the CEEC in recent years. Its trade volume with the CEEC was valued at 39.27 billion yuan in 2021, rising by 40.4 percent year-on-year and accounting for 4.55 percent of China's total in the past year.

Specifically, the city's imports from the CEEC surged by a whopping 146.2 percent year-on-year to 7.68 billion yuan in 2021, making up 3.48 percent of the nation's total.