From July 22 to August 7, 2025, a delegation from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEBA) at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” took part in the “Bulgaria Seminar for Opinion Leaders on Chinese Modernization”. The two-week program, held in Beijing, Hangzhou, and Linhai, was organized by the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China, with the sponsorship of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the support of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Bulgaria.

During the official opening of the seminar Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev, Dean of FEBA, delivered an opening address, emphasizing the long-standing friendship between Bulgaria and China and the opportunities for collaboration in education, business, technology, and cultural exchange. He expressed gratitude to H.E. Ambassador Dai Qingli, the Embassy team in Sofia, and the Chinese organizers for their hospitality and professionalism.

The seminar combined lectures on China’s national conditions, economic opening, Xi Jinping Thought, technological transformation, national economic security, modernization strategies, financing methods for infrastructure, and the “14th Five-Year Plan” for a modern energy system. Study tours included the International Zero-Carbon Conference, Hikvision Co., Ltd., and the China Railway 16th Bureau.

Participants also explored China’s cultural heritage and urban transformation. Highlights included a visit to a redeveloped industrial district, now a vibrant business and leisure area, and discussions with representatives from high-tech companies.

The delegation’s visit is expected to foster deeper cooperation with Chinese universities and institutes, and to create opportunities for joint academic programs, research projects, and participation in major economic events.

“This seminar was more than an educational program—it was a platform for dialogue and mutual learning”, said Assoc. Prof. Georgiev. “China’s experience with modernization offers valuable lessons for Bulgaria’s path in economic restructuring, regional development, and the green transition”.

The delegation included full-time and part-time lecturers, PhD students, and students from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, as well as representatives of partner organizations and state institutions involved in the development of the Net-Zero Lab at FEBA and some of the Faculty’s leading academic programs.

Among the FEBA participants were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev, Dean of FEBA, Director of the Net-Zero Lab, and Director of the Master’s program “Nuclear Technologies, Management, and Innovations”; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimitar Zlatinov, Vice Dean of FEBA; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Teodora Peneva, Institute of Economics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Antoniya Tsankova, Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – lecturers in the new English-taught Bachelor’s program “International Trade and Investment”; Chief Assist. Prof. Dr. Maria Trifonova, Director of the Master’s program “Energy Markets and Services”; Chief Assist. Prof. Dr. Kiril Velichkov, Director of the Master’s program “Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer”; part-time lecturer Dr. Eng. Ivaylo Naydenov, teaching in the Master’s programs “Energy Markets and Services” and “Nuclear Technologies, Management, and Innovations”; Adriana Branicheva – Vice President of the FEBA Alumni Club and President of the Student Business Club, the PhD students Dilyana Slavova and Gergana Manolova, Dr. Lilyana Georgieva, etc.

The FEBA delegation also included representatives of partnering organizations: Kaloyan Staykov, Chairman of the Management Board at the Energy Management Institute and Angel Nikolaev, Manager of the Black Sea Energy Research Centre.