China, Bulgaria pledge to expand cooperation

Senior Chinese and Bulgarian legislators pledged in Sofia on Wednesday to enhance cooperation between the national legislatures of the two countries.

China is willing to work together with Bulgaria to deepen political mutual trust and solidify the social basis of bilateral relations, Chen Zhili, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), told Anastas Anastasov, vice president of the National Assembly of Bulgaria.

China's NPC would like to enhance all-round exchanges with the National Assembly of Bulgaria to continuously enrich the connotation of bilateral relations, she said.

Chen said China has a deep traditional friendship with Bulgaria and that bilateral cooperation has developed well since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1949.

The two countries witnessed frequent high-level visits and expanding cooperation in economy and trade, science and technology, culture and tourism, she said, adding that the two legislatures have maintained frequent communication and coordination.

Anastasov spoke highly of the Bulgaria-China ties, saying that Sofia attaches importance to developing ties with Beijing and firmly adheres to the one-China policy.

The National Assembly of Bulgaria is willing to expand cooperation and exchanges with the NPC in order to make contributions to the comprehensive and healthy development of bilateral relations, he said.

He called on China to continue to increase investment in Bulgaria and work with Sofia to deepen bilateral pragmatic cooperation in energy, agriculture and infrastructure construction.

Chen arrived here Monday for a goodwill visit to Bulgaria, the last leg of her three-nation tour which has taken her to South Korea and Ukraine.