In Beijing, Bulgaria’s economy minister bids to attract investments in production of electric cars

Meeting China’s Ding Xuexiang in Beijing on September 10, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Alexander Pulev outlined investment opportunities, with particular emphasis on attracting investments in the production of electric cars and related technology, the Economy Ministry said.

“We have a strong political will to open a new page in bilateral relations with China,” the statement quoted Pulev as saying.

“We have a golden window for new opportunities and for practical development of relations between the two countries,” he said.

Pulev said that after the establishment of the strategic partnership between the countries during the 2019 visit to China by Roumen Radev (then president, now Prime Minister) relations between Bulgaria and China have been developing sustainably.

“Under the strategic leadership of the two leaders, our relations have been elevated to a new level. Today, we have a clear focus on deepening interaction and concrete investment opportunities,” Pulev said.

Among the leading topics of the meeting were investment opportunities in the motor vehicle industry, energy, high technologies, decarbonisation, and industrial cooperation, the Economy Ministry said.

“The key is the interaction and attraction of investments in the field of electric cars. Bulgaria is open to investments that create new jobs, bring high added value and technological transfer,” Pulev said.

The statement said that Ding described the current moment as an excellent opportunity for mutually beneficial cooperation between Bulgaria and China.

He said that Bulgaria is an important partner of China in Southeast Europe and welcomed the Bulgarian government’s efforts to attract investments in electromobility.

The visit to Beijing by the delegation headed by Pulev is the latest in a series of interactions between China and the Radev government that took office in May 2026.

In June, Radev held talks in Sofia with Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin, president of the All-China Women’s Federation, on the development of the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and China, the prospects for expanding economic cooperation and opportunities for deepening ties between the two countries, the Bulgarian government information service said.

“The People’s Republic of China has always been a trusted friend and strategic partner of Bulgaria in the Asia region,” Radev said at the time.

Later in June, Labour and Social Policy Minister Nataliya Efremova and China’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping signed a letter of intent with a framework for bilateral cooperation in the areas of labour, employment, professional skills development, and lifelong learning, as well as public services related to employment and entrepreneurship, the Labour Ministry said.

In July, Deputy Foreign Minister Ivanka Tasheva and Chinese ambassador Dai Qingli met to discuss priority areas for interaction and deepening of the bilateral partnership, the Foreign Ministry said.

The Radev Cabinet, meeting on September 2, approved four memorandums on economic and investment cooperation with China.

One was a draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Economy, Investment and Industry and the Ministry of Commerce of China to establish a joint working group for investment cooperation.

Another was draft memorandum of understanding between the Invest Bulgaria Agency and Shanghai Grand Sun Hydrotherapy System Ltd, the third was between the Invest Bulgaria Agency and China Global Advisory on an investment project in Bulgaria, and the fourth between the agency and Hangzhou Bosom New Materials Technology Co.

On September 8, Pulev met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Xiamen, with Pulev saying that it was important that relations develop not only at the political level “but also lead to actual investment and new production”.

The same day, Radev and Chinese ambassador Dai were in Radinovo near Plovdiv for the inauguration of the production capacity of a ZS Europe plant, a move by Chinese company Shanghai Unison Aluminium Products to expand in presence in Europe and produce in Bulgaria aluminium parts for motor vehicles, with the total investment to date exceeding 17.5 million euro, the Trakia Economic Zone said.

(Photo: Economy Ministry)