Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Delian Dobrev was on a visit to China

Bulgaria is the only EU country to receive an increase in its credit rating in 2010 and 2011, said the Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Delian Dobrev meeting with his Chinese counterpart - Minister of Industry and Information Technologies Miao Wei. Minister Dobrev was on a visit to China to participate in the forum "Invest in Bulgaria", organized by the Bulgarian Investment Agency and the Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board.

Minister Dobrev presented the major effort of Bulgaria to tackle the challenges of the economic crisis and their results.
Bulgaria applies the lowest taxes in the EU, which were not increased even during the crisis, said Dobrev. According to his words, today our country is one of the best investment destinations in Europe – the good geographical location, financial stability, lower production costs and better qualified staff are assisting for this.

The Minister pointed also the facilities introduced by the Law on Investment Promotion and practice of BIA, which aim to facilitate companies choosing to do business in the country. Among them was highlighted the opportunity every investor to have an assistant to its contacts with the local authorities.
The establishment of industrial zones and technological development activities in our country also creates scope for better cooperation between Bulgaria and China, said Minister Dobrev and showed as an example the industrial zone Bozhurishte and Sofia Tech Park. According to his words, electronics, machinery, automotive, outsourcing and more are promising areas for attracting Chinese investment in Bulgaria.
Minister Dobrev expressed hope that the establishment of leading Chinese companies such as Huawei and Great wall in Bulgaria will serve as a good example to encourage other Chinese companies to invest in our country.

Miao Wei presented to the Minister Dobrev objectives for development pursued by his country until 2030 for building a modern market economy. He underlined the importance of industry and information and communication technologies to achieve these goals. Relationship of mutual trust between China and Bulgaria as an EU member also has a definite place in this process, said Miao Wei.
Ministry of Industry and Information Technologies of China will work closely with the Ministry of Economy to create more programs for cooperation between enterprises of the two countries, became clear during the meeting.

The engineering and energy are priority sectors for cooperation between Bulgaria and China - it became clear during Minister Dobrev’s meeting with the Deputy Minister of Commerce of the Asian country Jun Shan.
Mr. Shan showed his content of the Chinese side for the achieved growth in trade and the need to widen the activities between the two countries to increase Chinese investment in Bulgaria. In the context of measures to promote economic relations with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Mr. Shan underlined the significance of Bulgaria as an important partner. The meeting had expressed support of the Chinese government to expand investment by local companies in Bulgaria, as well as the willingness of the Chinese side to work with the Bulgarian government for the creation of an industrial zone in the country.
In 2011, Bulgaria's exports to China increased by 103.2% compared to 2010, China is a country with a growing demand for agricultural products, and in Bulgaria there are conditions for cultivation, favorable for the Asian market, said Minister Dobrev at the meeting.
Bulgarian Minister expressed to his colleagues a desire to increase the number of Chinese tourists in Bulgaria. In January-August 2012 Chinese tourists visiting our country increased by 31% compared to the same period of 2011. This month MEET organized tour information for Chinese journalists in the country and for next year there will be a similar visit for the Chinese tour operators.

Within the two official meetings Minister Dobrev confirmed Bulgaria's desire in 2013 to host the annual meeting of government leaders of China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
In the presence of Delian Dobrev and Jun Shan was signed a memorandum of cooperation in investment promotion between the two countries.