site.btaBulgaria-China Business Forum Takes Place in Sofia

A Bulgaria-China Business Forum was held at the Intercontinental Sofia Hotel here on Monday. The event was organized by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the assistance of the Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Sofia. It was a tie-in with the 18th session of the Bulgarian-Chinese Intergovernmental Mixed Commission on Economic Cooperation.

The Chinese delegation includes representatives of such sectors as photovoltaic systems and energy storage, finance, electric vehicle production and component supply, agricultural product purchasing, e-commerce platform management, logistics, and the manufacture of household and electrical appliances, according to the BCCI.

Economy and Industry Minister Peter Dilov said that Bulgaria’s trade with China reached nearly USD 4 billion in 2024. The volume of trade in the first half of 2025 stood at USD 2 billion, he added. Dilov identified significant potential for collaboration between the two countries in the fields of green technologies, energy efficiency, tourism, logistics, and transport connectivity. He highlighted the strong interest shown by businesses in launching new joint projects that could unlock the full potential of bilateral trade and economic relations.

Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dai Qingli stressed that against the backdrop of an international situation filled with conflicts, China and Europe must be friends, not opponents, cooperating rather than confronting each other. The important task for China and Bulgaria is to turn traditional friendship and expectations into a driving force for cooperation, she added. The Ambassador described the first regular meeting of the Bulgarian-Chinese Intergovernmental Mixed Commission for Economic Cooperation after a five-year break as "exciting news" and "an event of great importance". She highlighted that there has been intensive high-level exchange between the two countries in 2025, citing examples of Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov’s two visits to China and the visits by five Bulgarian ministers, as well as visits by seven Chinese leaders to Bulgaria.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Lozana Vasileva said cooperation between Bulgaria and China in the field of agriculture and food has been expanding actively in recent years, with Bulgaria ranking as a leader among Central and Eastern European countries in exports of agricultural and food products to the Chinese market. "In 2023, trade in agricultural and food products between Bulgaria and China reached a record value of USD 604 million, with the value of Bulgarian agricultural exports to the Chinese market doubling year-on-year to USD 517 million,” she noted. The Deputy Minister added that in 2022 and 2023 Bulgaria ranked first among Central and Eastern European countries in terms of exports of agricultural and food products to China.

China's Vice Minister of Commerce Ling Ji said at the forum that Bulgaria and China should work for expanding their two-way trade, which has been growing steadily over the last year and whose development should be maintained. "Bulgaria should also increase its export to the Chinese market, which has a significant potential," he added. "At this imporant point in the development of the world, we take the right side of history, and we insist on the building of a predictable, transparent and fair international environment," said Ling, adding that despite all changes on the international plane, China and Bulgaria remain good partners.

China Chamber of Commerce to the EU Secretary General and Board Member Fang Dongkui said Bulgaria's membership in the Schengen area and the eurozone could turn the country into a bridge for Chinese companies to the European market. According to him, joining the Schengen area will not only significantly ease the movement of people, capital, and goods, but also create favorable conditions for Chinese investment projects and especially new opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative. “Bulgaria’s accession to the Eurozone will bring greater convenience to Chinese investors, such as direct transactions in euro, reduced currency exchange fluctuations, lower conversion costs, and easier cross-border trade," he added.