14.11.2023 / The Director of APACCCEEC met with Ningbo Municipal People’s Government Deputy Mayor. Cooperation Agreement signed between Ningbo Agricultural and Rural Bureau and Bulgarian Tea Company

On November 13th, a meeting between representatives of Ningbo Municipal People’s Government, the Ningbo Agricultural and Rural Bureau and the Bulgarian Tea Company, was hosted at the APACCCEEC office. The signing of the cooperation agreement was organized with the helpful assistance of China Cultural Center in Sofia.

The participants were as follows: Dr. Momchil Stanishev, Director of APACCCEEC; Mr. Hong Hai, Director of China Cultural Center in Sofia and representative of Ningbo municipality in Bulgaria; Mr. Yang Yong, Ningbo Municipal People’s Government Deputy Mayor; Ms. Li Xiaodong, Xiangshan County People’s Government County Mayor; Mr. Lou Binzheng, Ningbo Port Administration Bureau Deputy Director; Mr. Zhuo Kaihao, Ningbo Agricultural and Rural Bureau Deputy Director; Mr. Hu Wenjie, Ningbo Municipal People’s Government Office Division Chief of the Fourth Division; Mr. Zhang Xiaoyu, Ningbo Port and Shipping Management Center Division Chief of Port Office; Ms. Gina Balareva, Project Coordinator at China Cultural Center in Sofia, and Ms. Kalina Koeva, Expert at APACCCEEC.

The delegation from Ningbo conveyed that they aim to strengthen their cooperation with Bulgaria in the field of agriculture, more specifically the promotion of Ningbo tea, for which purpose they expressed their wish for mutual cooperation with the Bulgarian Tea Company. The meeting opened with a discussion between the parties, during which Dr. Stanishev made an overview of the beneficial cooperation between the APACCCEEC and Ningbo Municipal People’s Government, and also conveyed his gratitude to Mr. Hong Hai for his assistance thus far.

On behalf of the delegation, Mr. Yang expressed his gratitude to the APACCCEEC Director for the warm welcome and for the overall successful cooperation in the field of agriculture. Another subject of discussion was the China International Import Expo, which took place in Shanghai earlier this month. The Deputy Mayor expressed his hope to receive recommendations on good practices in Bulgarian agriculture, given their positive impression of the level of development of agriculture in Bulgaria. Mr. Yang also noted that the agricultural development in Ningbo is at the highest position within Zhejiang province, at the forefront of which the cultivation of crops such as tea.

In response, Dr. Stanishev noted that the APACCCEEC has actively been working together with their partner network to build bridges for cooperation not only within Bulgaria, but also for the other CEE countries in terms of the realization of product popularization in China. The APACCCEEC Director also mentioned the Demonstration Zone of Agricultural Cooperation and the Pavilion for Agricultural and other products in Plovdiv, and emphasized the Association’s successful project, the “Accelerator Program for start-ups in the field of agriculture between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe”.

During the meeting, there was also a discussion on the relocation of the Association’s Liaison Office and the CEEC Products Permanent Pavilion in Ningbo. Dr. Stanishev also emphasized wine production in the country, and special attention was paid to the quality of Bulgarian wines.

Before signing the cooperation agreement, the members of the Bulgarian Tea Company briefly went over the history of the company and their experience in trade with China. In response, the delegation made an overview of the geographical features of Ningbo and that predisposes the production of different types of tea. The delegation expressed their wish to expand the range of teas to be exported to Bulgaria in the future, and hoped that their partnership with the Bulgarian Tea Company in future projects would help to expand the import and export of tea products and processing machines.

The APACCCEEC Director thanked the Ningbo representatives for their good cooperation, in particular for organizing the pilot edition of the Tea Business Forum jointly with the China Cultural Center in June of this year, which made possible the signing of the cooperation agreement with the Bulgarian Tea Company. Finally, the two sides proceeded to sign the Cooperation Agreement.