On September 16, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative Ling Ji co-chaired the 18th meeting of the China-Bulgaria Intergovernmental Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation with Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Industry Peter Dilov in Sofia. Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Doncho Barbalov, and Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dai Qingli attended the meeting. Representatives from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, Ministry of Environment and Water, Ministry of Tourism, and InvestBulgaria Agency also participated and delivered remarks.

Ling Ji emphasized that Bulgaria was the second country to recognize the People’s Republic of China, underscoring the deep historical friendship between the two nations. He noted that in 2019, President Xi Jinping and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev jointly decided to elevate China-Bulgaria relations to a strategic partnership, injecting strong momentum into bilateral economic cooperation. Bilateral economic and trade cooperation has developed steadily in recent years, with trade growing rapidly and investment collaboration yielding fruitful results. He urged both sides to enhance government-to-government economic dialogue and corporate exchanges to upgrade bilateral cooperation. China is willing to expand imports from Bulgaria and expand investment cooperation across multiple sectors. He called for further practical outcomes in agriculture, infrastructure, new energy, and high-tech fields, and urged Bulgaria to maintain a fair, equitable, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises. In the face of a complex and volatile international landscape, he expressed hope that Bulgaria would play a constructive role within the EU to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism.

Dilov stated that the resumption of the joint economic commission meeting after five years holds great significance for deepening bilateral cooperation under the new circumstances. China remains one of Bulgaria’s most important economic and trade partners. Amid global uncertainties, Bulgaria seeks to strengthen mutually beneficial collaboration with China. He expressed Bulgaria’s willingness to expand agricultural exports to China and encouraged Chinese enterprises to leverage Bulgaria’s geographical location, industrial advantages, and policy incentives to deepen investments in agriculture, automotive manufacturing, renewable energy, infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.

During the visit, Ling Ji and Dilov also attended the China-Bulgaria Business Forum, where over 100 Chinese and Bulgarian companies from manufacturing, infrastructure, finance, and telecommunications sectors engaged in in-depth exchanges and business matchmaking.