Chinese businesses seek partnership in Bulgaria at industry event

SOFIA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- A conference on trade and investment cooperation between southwestern China's Sichuan province and Bulgaria was held here on Tuesday. Organizers hope to strengthen economic ties between the eastern European country and the prosperous Chinese province.

The one-day event, organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Sichuan Council and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), gathered eight Chinese companies and more than 30 potential Bulgarian partners.

Huang Li, president of the CCPIT Sichuan Council, and president of the Sichuan International Chamber of Commerce, said at the conference that CCPIT Sichuan Council is supporting enterprises from the province to go abroad, make connections with foreign businesses, and to act as bridges for the development of economic cooperation.

Considering the positive economic prospects, BCCI President Tsvetan Simeonov said that the companies that participated in the event "have every chance to find their partners today."

Simeonov said he believed that businesses would be encouraged to take steps not only towards commercial exchange with the Chinese province, but also to make investments.

Fan Chenyao, deputy general manager of F&W Machine Manufacturing Co., Ltd., one of the Chinese companies present at the event, said the company was interested in setting up a representative office in Eastern Europe for the sale and storage of its products, and to better serve its customers.

At the event, a memorandum of understanding between the CCPIT Sichuan Council and BCCI, as well as a contract between a Chinese and Bulgarian company were signed.