BULGARIAN-CHINESE MEDIA CENTER

On June 22, a ceremony was held in the building of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ) to sign a Memorandum for the joint creation of the "Bulgarian-Chinese Home of Journalists" platform. The document lays the foundation for future media cooperation between Bulgaria and China. The Memorandum was signed by Snezhana Todorova, Chairman of the UBJ Board, and by Tian Yuhong, Executive Secretary of the All-China Journalists Association (ACJA). Mr Tian is the head of a delegation including editors-in-chief and directors from the largest Chinese media - Xinhua Agency, China Media Group, "People's Daily” newspaper, Shenzhen Media Group and others. The meeting was also attended by Dong Xiaojun, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Sofia, Andrey Tehov, the new ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria in China, as well as journalists and guests. Aksiniya Koleva, director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, was also invited by Snezhana Todorova to attend the event.

The meeting began with an online speech by Mrs. Jiang Yu, a special representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China for the cooperation between China and CEE countries, who emphasized the importance of media exchange between the two countries and highlighted Bulgaria's contribution to the cooperation mechanism.

The signing ceremony was also attended by a 20-member delegation from Shandong Province, which is visiting Bulgaria to participate in cultural events within the framework of the "Summer with Chinese Culture" project. The new joint project "A Rose Meeting" is an initiative of the local government of Shandong Province and its purpose is to display the rich collection of video and photographic works prepared by journalists, photojournalists and cameramen to cover the economic, social and cultural development of the countries of the Belt and Road Initiative. In this regard, the attendees had the opportunity to see a short video about the participation of the Confucius Institute - Sofia in the Rose Festival in the city of Kazanlak - 2023 and a film presenting Shandong Province, where roses are also grown.

As part of their visit to Bulgaria, the delegation from the All-China Journalists Association held a number of meetings and talks. They visited the city of Varna and the International House of Journalists, which will be the headquarters of the "Bulgarian-Chinese Home of Journalists" and where various events and initiatives will be organized this year.