site.btaNational Assembly Chair Meets with Vice Chair of Chinese National People’s Congress' Standing Committee

National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan held a meeting with Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Vice Chair Xiao Jie, here on Saturday. The delegation he leads is visiting Bulgaria at the invitation of the National Assembly.

“Bulgaria and China will continue to cooperate as genuine partners who value each other and maintain stable relations,” Nazaryan said. “We highly appreciate the traditional friendly bilateral ties, which in 2019 were elevated to the level of ‘strategic partnership’,” she added. The Parliament Chair recalled that Bulgaria was the second country in the world to recognise the People’s Republic of China, and that last year marked 75 years since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relations.

Nazaryan welcomed the guests and shared the Bulgarian Parliament’s desire to continue its cooperation with the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. She noted her satisfaction with the dialogue between the legislative institutions and emphasised that in the past two years several delegations from China have visited Bulgaria through parliamentary channels.

The National Assembly Chair expressed her satisfaction with the holding of the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation in September in Sofia, which provided an opportunity to exchange views on the state and prospects of trade and investment cooperation. Nazaryan noted that concrete steps must be taken to achieve practical results in balancing trade with China, expanding the volume and scope of Bulgarian exports, and improving access for Bulgarian products and services to the Chinese market by easing trade barriers and simplifying import procedures.

Xiao Jie said that bilateral relations are developing steadily on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. He noted that it is important to deepen practical cooperation and stressed that Bulgaria has become China’s largest trading partner in the field of agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe. Cooperation between China and Bulgaria has very broad prospects, the guest said. He pointed out that exchanges between the legislative bodies of the two countries are an important component of bilateral relations and play a role in strengthening friendship and the well-being of the peoples of both states. In his words, Bulgaria is one of his country’s most important partners in Central and Eastern Europe and has a constructive role in maintaining good relations between China and the EU.

Nazaryan stressed that Bulgaria supports the EU’s aspiration for positive engagement and joint work with Beijing on issues of common interest and of global significance. “Our country seeks to contribute to a balanced approach in relations between the EU and China based on equal treatment and reciprocity,” the Parliament Chair added.

The meeting noted that there is significant potential for expanding cooperation between Bulgaria and China in transport and logistics, tourism and education, in line with EU rules and regulations. The Bulgarian side also reaffirmed its desire to deepen academic links through student and faculty exchanges, joint research projects and cultural initiatives.

The talks were attended by Deputy National Assembly Chair Tsoncho Ganev, Foreign Policy Committee Chair Yordanka Fandakova, Bulgaria–China Friendship Group Chair Maya Dimitrova, the group’s Deputy Chair Manoil Manev, as well as its members Aleksander Valchev and Daniel Lorer.