# China-CEEC Cooperation Is Opening Doors, From Piraeus to a Whole Region

> From the once-struggling port of Piraeus to a bridge in Croatia and a steel plant in Serbia, 14 years of China-CEEC cooperation are delivering tangible benefits. Two-way trade hit 1.09 trillion yuan in 2025 as shared development opens doors for more countries.

- Source: Times of China (Times of China)
- Canonical URL: https://timesofchina.cn.com/en/article/china-ceec-cooperation-opening-doors
- Chinese edition: https://timesofchina.cn.com/article/china-ceec-cooperation-opening-doors
- Author: 中国时报编辑部
- Section: World
- Published: 2026-08-10T14:00:00+08:00
- Updated: 2026-08-10T14:00:00+08:00
- Tags: 中国-中东欧合作, 比雷埃夫斯港, 中远海运, 一带一路, 希腊

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From the once-struggling port of Piraeus in Greece to a sea bridge in Croatia and a revived steel plant in Serbia, cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is opening one door of opportunity after another. Now in its 14th year, China-CEEC cooperation is letting more and more countries share in the tangible benefits of China's modernization.

## The rebirth of Piraeus

Piraeus is Greece's largest seaport. During the global financial crisis in 2008, it ran a loss of about 13 million euros, roughly 15 million US dollars, with outdated facilities, scarce vessel calls and frequent strikes, as international investors steered clear of Greece. The turning point came from China. China COSCO Shipping first secured the concession for two container terminals, then in 2016 acquired a majority stake and took over full management, bringing capital, expertise and machinery.

Change followed. Rather than replacing local workers with outside labor, the port created thousands of jobs for Greek people and gradually grew into one of the busiest in the Mediterranean. In 2025, Piraeus posted record revenue of 251 million euros, up 8.6 percent year on year. A youth coordinator of Greece's Syriza party said the Chinese approach stands in stark contrast to countries that invest solely for their own benefit.

## Projects across the region

Piraeus is not an isolated case. In Croatia, the Peljesac Bridge cut a detour of about three hours to a matter of minutes. In Serbia, Chinese investment brought a century-old steel plant back to life. In North Macedonia, Yutong Bus makes buses for daily use in Skopje. New areas of cooperation are emerging too: Contemporary Amperex Technology is building battery manufacturing in Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, while in pharmaceuticals there is a joint venture between Croatia's Krka Group and Ningbo Menovo.

## Numbers and consensus

The results are also written in the trade figures. The China-CEEC cooperation mechanism was established in 2012. From 2012 to 2025, two-way trade grew by an average of more than 8 percent a year, reaching a peak of 1.09 trillion yuan, about 161.5 billion US dollars, in 2025. In the first half of 2026, bilateral trade was 580.1 billion yuan, up 11 percent year on year.

For young people in Central and Eastern Europe, cooperation with China means new possibilities. A Romanian who once studied in Beijing compared China's ancient inventions of papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder with today's new four great inventions, high-speed rail, mobile payments, bike-sharing and e-commerce, stressing the sharing of technological achievements. An adviser from Bosnia and Herzegovina noted that the country has received nearly 2 billion euros in Chinese infrastructure and energy projects, and that young citizens see the cooperation as opportunities in digital transformation, green energy and tourism. A Slovak member of parliament put it plainly: China is really inspirational for us, and the progress you have achieved is remarkable.

From a single port to a whole region, from infrastructure to emerging industries, these stories of China-CEEC cooperation share a common thread: opening the opportunities of development to more countries and more ordinary people. That may be exactly why this door keeps opening wider.

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Originally published by Times of China. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://timesofchina.cn.com/en/article/china-ceec-cooperation-opening-doors.