Mayor Pencho Milkov presented Ruse as a strategic partner in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative
Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Pencho Milkov took an active part in the two-day conference dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and the cooperation between Bulgaria and China. During the forum, the mayor of Ruse Municipality held an official working meeting with H.E. Dai Qingli, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Bulgaria, at which new opportunities for expanding bilateral cooperation were discussed.
Within the main program, Pencho Milkov, at the invitation of the Embassy of China, moderated the panel discussion on the topic of “Economic and Trade Cooperation”. He presented Ruse as a strategic center of Bulgarian-Chinese relations, emphasizing the key importance of the city as a transport and logistics hub along the Danube River and in the trans-European corridors. The mayor emphasized the potential of Ruse for the development of industrial zones, high-tech parks, renewable energy and modern agriculture.
“Ruse is a city with a vision for the future and open to partnerships that promote economic growth and innovation. We are convinced that cooperation with our Chinese partners can bring real benefits to both our region and Bulgaria,” Milkov emphasized.
Representatives of business and industry also participated in the Ruse delegation. The Chairman of the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry Milen Dobrev, the Executive Director of Bulmarket Group Momchil Boyadzhiev and the Executive Director of MIK-GREEN Eng. Rumen Kozhuharov presented the advantages of the local economy and investment opportunities.
During the conference, Pencho Milkov held a number of working meetings, including with representatives of the cities of Ningbo and Dalian. Within the framework of these talks, specific prospects for cooperation in the field of infrastructure, green technologies, smart cities and trade and economic partnerships were outlined. The Danube city was positioned as a reliable and strategic partner, ready to be a driver of new joint initiatives in the economy, business and innovation.
At the end of the meeting, the attendees expressed their desire to continue the dialogue and left open the possibility of future visits and joint initiatives in the field of infrastructure, green technologies, smart cities and trade and economic partnerships.
Within the framework of the conference, the delegation from the city of Ruse also took part in a special meeting on business cooperation between Jiangsu Province and Bulgaria. During it, talks were held with Li Zhongjun - Deputy Governor of Jiangsu Province, and with Luo Xuemin - Deputy Mayor of Yangzhou City.
During the meeting, prospects for deepening contacts between Ruse and the Chinese region were discussed, with an emphasis on infrastructure projects, joint investments and the exchange of good practices in the field of green technologies, industrial development and urban environment management. The two sides expressed their readiness to work towards building stable partnerships that would stimulate economic cooperation and create new opportunities for businesses from both countries.
The conference became a significant platform for deepening the dialogue between Bulgarian and Chinese representatives — from state institutions to local authorities and business circles. The participants emphasized that the exchange of ideas and contacts was extremely fruitful and laid the foundation for new perspectives in bilateral cooperation.
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