Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin paid a visit to Bulgaria from Saturday to Monday, during which she met respectively with Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova and Prime Minister Rumen Radev, and held talks with Deputy Prime Minister Galab Donev.
During the meetings, Shen gave a brief account of China's achievements in economic and social development, as well as livelihood priorities listed in China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
China highly values the development of China-Bulgaria relations and is willing to intensify exchanges and cooperation with Bulgaria across various fields, including politics, economy, people's livelihood and culture, strengthen multilateral dialogue and coordination, and push for greater development of the China-Bulgaria strategic partnership, Shen said.
Speaking highly of Bulgaria-China relations, the Bulgarian leaders said that there is great potential for bilateral cooperation in various fields, and that the Bulgarian side is ready to work with China to further enrich the bilateral strategic partnership and yield more fruits in mutually beneficial cooperation.
During her visit, Shen and Donev jointly witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on inter-departmental cooperation between the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Bulgarian Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.
Shen also learned about the situation of vocational skills training in Bulgaria.
Chinese state councilor visits Bulgaria for closer partnership
China has delivered tangible results since its accession to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) one year ago, said scholars and industry insiders at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the PSMA's entry into force in Shanghai on Friday.
The agreement, which took effect in China in April last year, is the first binding international agreement to specifically target illegal fishing, by preventing vessels engaged in such fishing from using ports to land their catches.
At the anniversary event, attendees highlighted China's progress in implementing the treaty. "The first batch of 23 designated ports open to foreign-flagged fishing vessels has been identified, spanning eight provincial coastal areas including Tianjin," said Xia Liang, a professor from Shanghai Ocean University, when delivering a speech at the event.
In addition to the concrete measures, China has actively fulfilled its obligations under the agreement over the past year.
"By joining the PSMA and taking action, China has shown its responsibility and commitment as a responsible fishing nation. In fact, even before joining, China's distant-water fleet had already been following the conservation rules set by regional fisheries organizations," said Zhao Gang, executive vice president of the China Overseas Fisheries Association.
China's fishing industry has long embraced responsible and sustainable practices, while academic institutions are also contributing to these efforts, with Shanghai Ocean University now serving as the national contact point for the PSMA.
"By linking research teams, industry bodies, international organizations, and practitioners, we can move academic research from 'on the page' to 'in action,'" said the Shanghai Ocean University President Hu Wei.
The Chinese government deposited its instrument of accession to the PSMA to the FAO on March 17 last year, one month before its accession.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said previously that the accession represents China's action to practice true multilateralism, and demonstrates the concrete effort of China to advance global ocean governance and uphold international maritime order.
China delivers tangible results since accession to PSMA: experts
