24.03.2025 / Delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Visited APACCCEEC

On March 22, 2025, Dr. Momchil Stanishev, Director of APACCCEEC, held an official meeting with a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (MARA). The meeting was also attended by APACCCEEC experts Dr. Iva Venkova and Mr. Zahari Zahariev.

The Chinese delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) consisted of the following members: Mr. Wang Lejun, Chief Livestock Officer; Ms. Guo Naying, Deputy Director General, Department of International Cooperation (DIC); Ms. Li Na, Deputy Director General, Department of Rural Development Monitoring and Evaluation; Ms. Li Xiaonan, Deputy Director, Division of Outbound Investment Promotion; Ms. Xu Luming, Officer at the Centre of International Cooperation Service.

Representing the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sofia, the following officials attended the meeting: Ms. Wang Ming, Deputy Chief of Mission; Mr. He Jie, First Secretary and Ms. Wang Chenxi, Attaché in the Economic and Commercial Section of the Embassy.

During the meeting, Dr. Momchil Stanishev presented to the Chinese delegation ongoing initiatives and projects of APACCCEEC, such as the Permanent Pavilion and Liaison Office in Ningbo, which serves for exhibiting samples of food, beverages and cosmetic products from Bulgarian and CEE companies; the upcoming participation of APACCCEEC with its own Pavilion at the 4th China-CEEC Expo in May 2025; APACCCEEC’ s activities in the Demonstration Zone of Agricultural Cooperation between China and the CEE Countries at Agricultural University – Plovdiv and the E-Commerce Logistics Hub and Pavilion for Agricultural and other Products near Plovdiv, as well as the upcoming training seminar in China in 2025. Also presented were the preparations for the 2nd meeting of the China-CEEC Modern Agricultural Science and Education Innovation Alliance, as well as the International Conference „10 years APACCCEEC: Bridge for cooperation between China and CEE countries”, which will be held in Sofia in June 2025.

Dr. Stanishev provided information about the Bulgaria-China Business Forum, organized by APACCCEEC in June 2024 during the visit of a delegation from the Shanghai Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT Shanghai) in Sofia and the meeting with a delegation from the Institute of Apicultural Research at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in April 2024. Dr. Stanishev emphasized that various goods will be on display in the Permanent Pavilion in Ningbo, including: honey, wine, juices, biscuits, cosmetics and many other quality products of interest to Chinese consumers.

Mr. Wang Lejun, Chief Livestock Officer at China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), noted that he was impressed by the practical work carried out by APACCCEEC in recent years, which has significantly contributed to the development of China-CEEC cooperation. Mr. Wang emphasized on the good opportunities provided by organizing training seminars and the partnerships between research institutions.

The Head of the Delegation from MARA expressed support for APACCCEEC’s current activities and acknowledged the opportunities for cooperation in agriculture and technology. He emphasized the importance of the city of Ningbo and the Ministry’s interest in the Permanent Pavilion.

The meeting participants discussed the organization of the next regular session of the APACCCEEC Consultative Board in Sofia in June 2025, alongside the International Conference celebrating APACCCEEC’s 10th anniversary.

Mr. Wang Lejun and the other members of the Chinese delegation from MARA also viewed the displayed samples from CEE companies at the demonstration space in APACCCEEC’s office in Sofia.