Many Bulgarian enterprises and organizations expressed their intention to participate in the sixth China International Import Expo during meetings with a CIIE work group from local time May 25 to 27.

The work group visited government departments, research institutes, business organizations and enterprises in Bulgaria and promoted the expo in an all-round way.

The Economic Research Institute of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was one of the places the group visited. While at the institute, Shi Huangjun from the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the venue for the annual import expo, shared information about the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, which is an important part of the CIIE.

According to Shi, the forum serves as an international public good and provides a platform for high-level dialogues and exchanges among international political, business, and academic communities. He welcomed the institute to attend the forum and find cooperation opportunities in China.

When meeting with officials from the Bulgarian ministries of culture and tourism, Shi said that the CIIE is not just an economic and trade event but also a grand gathering for cultural exchanges. He extended a welcome to Bulgarian cultural and artistic groups, as well as tourism promotion agencies, to participate in the expo and enhance the reputation of Bulgarian cultural and tourism resources in China.

The visit to Bulgaria also attracted many local organizations to participate in the expo. For example, the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency and the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European Countries (APACCCEEC) signed a memorandum of cooperation with the CIIE.

According to Momchil Stanishev, director of the APACCCEEC, the association plans to help over 10 food and agricultural product enterprises from not only Bulgaria, but also other Central and Eastern European countries such as Greece, Slovenia, and Romania, participate in this year’s expo.

Vasil Todorov, secretary general of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), also expressed the BCCI’s willingness to introduce the CIIE to relevant member companies and encourage them to participate in the expo.

According to Todorov, Bulgaria is home to many excellent enterprises in equipment manufacturing, automotive spare parts production, and other fields. He also noted that the potential for cooperation between Bulgaria and China is enormous.

By Zhao Guangmei