Clients excited

Wei Guowen, general manager of a toy manufacturer in Ningbo, was also a passenger on the flight to Budapest. She had not traveled overseas since 2020.

Her to-do list, which she drew up before the flight, included meeting 10 clients, following up projects under negotiation, visiting Italian partners, and making three new contacts.

"Our clients were so excited that they put off their summer holidays in order to meet us," Wei said. "I took 'Xiao Yi', our original toy figurine, with me and I also aim to share the latest information about the Chinese market with foreign customers."

The flight to Budapest was also taken by Sun Chonglong, executive director of Ningbo Lianbang Changyun International Trade Co. Sun plans to introduce more products from Central and Eastern European countries to Chinese customers.

Last year, his company placed a $10 million order for Hungarian beef with a beef producer in Budapest.

"I have always wanted to discuss the details of beef processing and packaging with my partner face-to-face," Sun said. "Compared with communicating online, meeting in-person creates more possibilities. That's why I applied for a seat on the chartered flight as soon as I heard about it."

Sun visited the beef producer in Budapest on July 11. Two days later, Sun's company, which will spend $200 million importing beef over the next five years, signed a contract to be the sole agent for the Hungarian producer.