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Rosen Plevneliev: China Shares the Strategic Bulgarian Priority for the Development of Agriculture and Food Production

Concrete agreements in the sphere of trade and economic cooperation between Bulgaria and China and steps to be made to implement them were outlined during the third day of President Rosen Plevneliev’s state visit to the People’s Republic of China.

“We will sign an agreement on the standards for the export of milk and dairy products as soon as possible.  In the next months we will prepare an agreement for expanding the exchange of agricultural products and food by specifying standards acceptable to both countries, not only for meat, but for other agricultural products,” Rosen Plevneliev said at a meeting with Bulgarian and Chinese journalists in Beijing.

“China shares the strategic Bulgarian priority for the development of agriculture and food production and will encourage the Chinese business to make considerable investments in the agriculture sector and to build factories for the production of food, not only for the export of raw agricultural products,” the President said in reply to a question asked by the Xinhua agency.

A delegation of the Chinese Bank for Development as well as that of leading infrastructure companies will visit our country in the next months. A delegation of Chinese high-tech companies, among which is a leading Chinese producer of computers, is also expected to visit Bulgaria. They will conduct negotiations on offering a “Zagora” cargo-zone near Stara Zagora, which is being prepared. Opportunities to build logistic centers on the territory of the town’s airport will be sought.  

The President’s words made it clear that two leading Chinese state construction companies have already made a concrete offer to build the Cherno More highway. The Head of State expects that the Bulgaria institutions will consider the offered memorandum. The construction of the Cherno More highway is one of the projects our country has offered to be funded within China’s Initiative for Cooperation with the Central and East European Countries, which provides a credit line worth 10 billion US dollars.  

“We highly appreciate China’s willingness to support the modernization and development of the countries in the region. This cooperation is not only part of the entire cooperation between China and Europe, but also a strong tool for encouraging the bilateral relations between Bulgaria and the People’s Republic of China,” the Head of State commented.  “We would like to be the door for Chinese investments and productions in the EU. At the same time, we would like to be an active EU member state and contribute to the good relationships between the EU and China,” Rosen Plevneliev added. In this respect the President further emphasized that Bulgaria welcomes the beginning of the negotiations for signing an investments agreement between the EU and the People’s Republic of China.

The quotas for the exchange of students between Bulgaria and China are due to be increased as well as those for strengthening the cooperation in the education sector, the President further said at his meeting with journalists in Beijing.

Later the Bulgarian Head of State held talks with the President of the State Council (Prime Minister) Li Keqiang and Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

A second joint Chinese-Bulgarian forum will be held on 15 January in Shanghai. On the last day of his state visit to China, President Rosen Plevneliev will hold a meeting with representatives of the business circles from the two countries, with the mayor of the megapolis Yan Sion and with representatives of the local government in Shanghai.