site.btaDeputy Prime Minister Zafirov Highlights Areas of Mutual Interest Between Bulgaria and China at Meeting with Chinese Ambassador and Business

Deputy Prime Minister and Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Chair Atanas Zafirov outlined key areas of mutual interest between Bulgaria and China during a meeting with China’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Dai Qingli, and representatives of Chinese companies.

The meeting was also attended by Tsvetelina Penkova, Member of the European Parliament from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, and Maya Dimitrova, Chair of the Bulgaria-China Friendship Group in the 51st National Assembly.

Among the sectors highlighted by Zafirov were green economy and renewable energy, IT and digitalization, automotive manufacturing, infrastructure, agriculture, biotechnology, and mining. He emphasized that meetings like this are a step toward addressing existing imbalances and restoring economic relations to pre-pandemic levels.

“My participation in today’s meeting should serve as a guarantee of Bulgaria’s interest in strengthening relations between our two countries,” Zafirov stated.

During the meeting, several Chinese companies and institutions presented their activities, including the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation, BGI Group, a leading research group in genomic sequencing, the China Metallurgical Mining Corporation.

Ambassador Dai Qingli noted that the Chinese companies had expressed a strong interest in investing in Bulgaria and acknowledged the role of the BSP in the Bulgarian government.

“We hope to receive even stronger support from your side,” the Ambassador said.

Earlier in the day, 18th session of the Bulgarian-Chinese Intergovernmental Mixed Commission on Economic Cooperation was held in Sofia. Discussions focused on boosting trade between the two countries and expanding Bulgarian exports to the Chinese market.