Following the successful holding of the Fourth Meeting of Local Leaders of the 16+1 Initiative in Sofia, the Regional Governor Zdravko Dimitrov welcomed a delegation from the Chinese province of Tianjin and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Business Cooperation between Liaoning Province, as well as a Letter of Intent on Establishment of Friendship Province Relationship.
The talks with representatives of the two Chinese provinces were aimed at strengthening and expanding cooperation on investment in agriculture, light industry, industrial partnership, high technology, science, education and culture.
The Tianjin delegation was led by Mr SHANG Binyi, Vice Chairman of CPPCC Tianjin Municipal Committee, accompanied by Ms LI Liping, Deputy Division Chief of International Trade and Economic Affairs of Tianjin Commission of Commerce, Ms ZHANG Jing, Deputy Head of Foreign Affairs with America and Oceania of the People’s Party Government of Tianjin Municipality and Mr TONG Yufeng, Deputy Section Chief of General Office of CPPCC Tianjin Municipal Committee. The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Governors Evelina Apostolova, Petar Petrov and Dimitar Kerin, the Chief Secretary of Regional Administration-Plovdiv – Borislav Dimov, the Chairman of Trakia Economic Zone – Plamen Panchev, Irina Beleva, Consul General in Shanghai (2011-2015) and Senior Advisor to the Bulgarian-Chinese Association for Business Development and Krystyo Belev, representative in Beijing of the Bulgarian-Chinese Association for Business Development.
Tianjin is one of the four provincial cities in the People’s Republic of China, established in 1927. Tianjin’s urban agglomeration is the third largest in China, after Shanghai and Beijing, and is home to the largest port of China. Tianjin’s most developed and fast-growing sector is industry with leading sub-sectors of the petrochemical, textile, automotive industries, machine-building and metallurgy.
The meeting with the representatives of Tianjin Province was held as a continuation and development of the good partnership relations with Plovdiv Region, as the two regions signed a twinning agreement in 1989.
The Liaoning delegation was led by Mr. LI Xuedong – Director General of Liaoning Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The ceremony on signing the Memorandum was attended by representatives of Trakia Economic Zone Cluster and the Bulgarian-Chinese Business Development Association, as well as representatives from different business sectors. Chinese guests had the opportunity to taste traditional Bulgarian food products and wine.
Liaoning is a northeastern province with 148,000 sq. km area and population – over 43 million people. The province is one of the oldest industrial bases in China, with developed ports, a pioneer in heavy industry and high technologies.
The agreement identified priority areas where partners will be sought – electronics, automotive parts, new technologies, feed, agriculture.
The implemented bilateral meetings kicked off the construction of a demonstration center in China for goods from the Central and Eastern European countries – participants in the Initiative 16+1. A Free Trade Area is already up – a platform for duty-free trade between Bulgaria and China.
Last modified on 25 October, 2018 at 17:00
