On the afternoon of July 1, 2019, Premier Li Keqiang met in Dalian with President Rumen Radev of Bulgaria.

Li Keqiang stated that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria, and bilateral relations have always maintained sound and stable development despite the changing international situation. President Xi Jinping will hold talks with Mr. President in Beijing to plan for the development of bilateral relations. The Chinese side stands ready to deepen traditional friendship, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, and strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, so as to further lift bilateral relation to a higher level. The two sides need to strengthen the alignment of development strategies, and step up cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, agriculture and technology based on the principle of two-way opening up. The Chinese side stands ready to work with the Bulgarian side to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation under the China-European Union (EU) and the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) frameworks. In April, the China-CEEC Global Partnership Center was officially inaugurated. The Chinese side is willing to work with all sides to step up the follow-up work to bolster the cooperation with CEEC in economy, trade and investment, and protect multilateralism and free trade.

Rumen Radev said that China is a key cooperative partner of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian side stands ready to expand cooperation with the Chinese side in such areas as trade, investment, science and technology and people-to-people and cultural engagement. Rumen Radev hoped that direct flights between the two sides will be opened at an early date. The Bulgarian side is willing to actively participate in the CEEC-China cooperation.

Wang Yi, Xiao Jie and He Lifeng attended the meeting.