On July 1, H. E. Mrs. Dai Qingli, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Bulgaria,

hosted an official reception on the occasion of the Award Ceremony for the winners of the "Peony Meets Rose" photography and drawing competition and her inauguration. The "Diamond" Hall at the Ramada Hotel Sofia was filled with guests: deputy chairpersons and members of the National Assembly, ministers and deputy ministers, leaders of political parties, regional governors and mayors, ambassadors and diplomats, journalists, cultural figures, and others. They all congratulated the first female Chinese ambassador to Bulgaria, who was accredited on May 20, 2024.

Her Excellency addressed the attendees with the following words:

Good evening! I’m delighted to warmly welcome all our distinguished guests tonight. Thank you so much for joining this reception.

It is a great honor for me to serve as the 21st Chinese ambassador to Bulgaria and the first woman ambassador of China in Sofia. I’m fully aware of my responsibilities, especially this year as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria. I was fortunate to be assigned to a country with an ancient civilization, splendid culture and warm and hospitable people.

My conversations with Bulgarian officials and people of different sectors have impressed upon me our mutual interest in taking forward our relations, and promoting cooperation and people-to-people ties. This shared commitment will be my source of strength and confidence as I perform my duties to the best of my ability.

Bulgaria was the second country in the world to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Our relationship over the past seven and a half decades has been defined by equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. China respects the path of development chosen by the Bulgarian people. We appreciate Bulgaria’s adherence to the one-China principle, which has underpinned our strategic partnership.

Bulgaria was one of the first Central and Eastern European countries to join the "Belt and Road" initiative. Bulgaria hosts the first Confucius Institute in the Balkans, the first Chinese Cultural Center in CEEC, and the first China-CEEC agricultural demonstration zone. Bulgaria has also become China’s largest agricultural trading partner in CEEC last year.

Today coincides with the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The CPC has led the Chinese people in profoundly transforming our country and is leading us on a new journey of Chinese-style modernization. China’s continued high-quality development and openness will bring new opportunities for countries including Bulgaria. We are already witnessing the resumption of investment projects and lively business discussions between our two countries.

As Bulgaria speeds up its energy transformation, infrastructure development, and research and application in emerging fields, we see growing potentials for cooperation in investment, infrastructure, agriculture, e-commerce, and tourism.

China appreciates Bulgaria’s support for the "Belt and Road" initiative and China-CEEC cooperation. We’re committed to working with Bulgaria to identify priority areas and pathways for cooperation, to generate more practical outcomes for the greater benefits of our peoples.

President Xi Jinping’s successful visit to Europe last May and his meeting with European leaders has injected a strong impetus into China-EU relations.

China sees Europe as an important priority in its foreign relations and a major partner for China’s modernization. China is ready to work with the EU to properly handle economic and trade frictions through dialogue and consultations.

The whole world will benefit if China and the EU could work together to maintain stable industrial and supply chains and promote sustainable growth of the world economy.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the proposal of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Over the past 70 years, China's Five Principles - mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence-have become universally applicable fundamental norms of international relations.

In his speech at the commemorative conference, President Xi Jinping emphasized that at this historical juncture, when humanity must choose between peace and war, prosperity and recession, unity and confrontation, we must more than ever uphold the essence of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and tirelessly strive toward the high goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity. He reiterated that China's commitment to the path of peaceful development will not change, China's determination to develop friendship and cooperation with all countries will not change, and China's resolve to promote common development worldwide will not change.

In his speech marking this anniversary, President Xi emphasized that these principles are more relevant now than ever before, and called on all countries to jointly build a global community with a shared future. He pledged that China will continue to play a constructive role in the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis and the Palestine-Israel conflict.

President Xi further reaffirmed that China will never waver in its pursuit of peaceful development, never waver in developing friendly cooperation with all countries, and promoting common development across the world.

Despite the differences in history and culture, social systems, and paths of development, China and Bulgaria have always respected each other and supported cultural diversity. The theme of today's event is "Peony Meets the Rose." I believe that many of you have had the opportunity to view some of the winning works from the "Peony Meets the Rose" drawing competition as you entered the hall.

The Second Dragon Boat Festival, which concluded yesterday, is yet another example of the mutual understanding between China and Bulgaria. It attracted the participation of 32 teams and nearly 20,000 spectators. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for your active participation in these two events and to congratulate all the winners.

I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the friends who support and are enthusiastic about the development of China-Bulgaria relationship! In the future, I look forward to discussing cooperation plans with you and doing my utmost to promote and contribute to the friendship between our two countries.

May the friendship between the "Peony and the Rose" continue to grow and flourish!

After the speech by H. E. Mrs. Dai Qingli, the stage hosted the Award Ceremony for the winners of the "Peony Meets the Rose" photography and drawing competition. The guests were also treated to several artistic performances.

The photos are provided by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China.
Above: H. E. Mrs. Dai Qingli, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Bulgaria