On October 19, 2026, local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in Sofia with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova.

Wang Yi noted that Bulgaria is one of the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China, and the two countries have friendly feelings toward each other. China-Bulgaria relations are embracing important opportunities, and this visit to Bulgaria is well-timed. The two sides conducted in-depth communication on planning high-level exchanges in the next stage and advancing practical cooperation in various fields, reaching broad consensus. It is necessary to continuously consolidate the political foundation and strengthen communication and coordination, so as to create important conditions for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation. China respects Bulgaria’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, welcomes Bulgaria’s realization of its development goals at a faster pace under the leadership of the new government, and is ready to be a long-term and trustworthy strategic partner of Bulgaria in this process. It is hoped that Bulgaria will continue to adhere to the one-China principle, and understand and support China’s legitimate position of safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Wang Yi said that China is ready to work with Bulgaria as partners in Eurasian connectivity, common development and revitalization, and the practice of multilateralism. The two sides should coordinate and form synergy among the Belt and Road cooperation, the alignment with the Middle Corridor, China‑CEEC cooperation and China‑Europe cooperation, so as to promote the accelerated development of each country.

Wang Yi stressed that China and Europe are partners rather than rivals, and are development opportunities rather than challenges for each other. The two sides should respect each other, appreciate each other, make achievements together, and jointly shoulder the international responsibilities for world peace and development. It is hoped that the EU will work with China to adhere to the right direction of openness, hold high the banner of free trade, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and find ways to handle differences and resolve problems through dialogue and consultation.

Velislava Petrova said that Bulgaria and China share a profound traditional friendship and have achieved fruitful results in cooperation in various fields. Bulgaria has long adhered to and will continue to firmly follow the one‑China policy. Actively developing relations with China is the clear direction of the new Bulgarian government. Bulgaria is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in economy and trade, culture, education and other fields, expand cooperation in high‑tech and high value‑added fields, and really looks forward to the early opening of direct flights between the two countries. Bulgaria, located between the East and the West and at the crossroads connecting the European and Asian continents, attaches great importance to connectivity and is ready to find more converging interests with China in this field. Bulgaria supports positive dialogue between China and Europe, and welcomes the positive progress in China‑EU trade and investment consultations. It is hoped that both sides will continue to uphold a spirit of mutual respect and pragmatism, focus on the overall situation, and find solutions that accommodate the concerns of all parties.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other international and regional hotspot issues.