03.06.2024 / Dr. Stanishev Meets a Chinese Ministry of Commerce Delegation

On May 31, 2024, Dr. Momchil Stanishev, Director of APACCCEEC, met with a delegation from the Department of Electronic Commerce and Informatization of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, comprised of: Mr. Wang Pengfei, Deputy Director General, Mrs. Qiu Yanlei, Director, and Mr. Gao Shenhan, Deputy Director. The delegation was accompanied by Mrs. Xing Linlin, Third Secretary at the Embassy of the PRC in the Republic of Bulgaria. The meeting took place at APACCEEC’s premises.

During the meeting, Dr. Stanishev presented the main aspects of APACCEEC’s activities, also noting that a new Permanent Pavilion is to be opened soon in the Chinese city of Ningbo. The pavilion will showcase products from Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), to which the Chinese public may be introduced also through online platforms. Dr. Stanishev pointed out that e-commerce is an important topic for Bulgaria and the CEECs, stressing that the speed of Internet in Bulgaria is among the fastest in Europe.

The representatives of the Ministry of Commerce presented various initiatives of China in the field of e-commerce, as well as the current state of China’s international cooperation with other countries in this area.

The Chinese guests noted that bilateral e-commerce has attained a level of USD 120 million, and that there are many products from the CEE countries that reach the Chinese market through online sales. They shared that China is the largest retail market in the world. Last year, the number of people employed in the e-commerce field in China was an approximate 70 million people.

During the meeting, the possibilities of using e-commerce channels to promote CEE countries’ products in China were discussed, as well as potential areas for cooperation with China in the field of e-commerce. Furthermore, the Director of APACCCEEC informed the guests about delayed or frozen procedures and requested the Chinese side to speed up the process of signing all necessary protocols for the approval of Bulgarian food product export to China.

The delegation from the Ministry of Commerce provided information about the Global Digital Trade Expo in China, which is held on an annual basis. The third edition of the exhibition will take place from September 25th – September 29th, 2024 in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang Province.

The Chinese guests had the chance to familiarize themselves with products from the CEECs exhibited in the Demonstration Pavilion of APACCEEC in Sofia.