On Oct 29 in Varna, Bulgaria, a cooperation meeting is held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria. [Photo/Dazhong News]

A cooperation meeting was held in Varna, Bulgaria, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of China-Bulgaria diplomatic relations and foster deeper exchanges between cities of both countries. Shandong's Heze, representing China, was invited to attend and delivered a speech to promote the city and explore new cooperation opportunities.

Since the 1980s, local cooperation between China and Bulgaria has grown ever stronger, with over 20 pairs of sister cities established. These strong ties have not only fostered mutual understanding and friendship between the two sides but also cultivated fertile ground for more projects to take root. Both sides have been actively cooperating in culture, education, and other fields, while implementing many concrete measures. Economic and cultural exchanges between cities of the two countries have become an important driving force in promoting bilateral relations.

Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dai Qingli introduced that 700 peony plants from Heze, Shandong province, will be planted in Sofia and Plovdiv this year. Through this event, participants can engage in in-depth exchanges, comprehensively promote their respective advantages, deepen mutual understanding and cultural exchanges, and jointly explore new opportunities for cooperation in various fields.

Heze representatives delivered speeches on Heze peonies, introducing the city as the world's largest center for the production, research, and exporting of the flowers, and also as having the widest variety and richest colors. Heze is committed to cultivating peonies as a shining brand of "Friendly Shandong, Remarkable Shandong". The city hopes to explore new possibilities in the industry among cities, enterprises, and civil society organizations.