On October 25, a delegation from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Romania-China (hereinafter referred to as "CCIRC") visited the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone Qingdao Area (hereinafter referred to as "SDPFTZ Qingdao Area"). The two parties held in-depth discussions regarding the establishment of a Qingdao representative office of CCIRC and officially signed a memorandum of cooperation. Attendees of the event included Nicolae Vasilescu, Executive President of CCIRC, Wang Xiangyu, Deputy Director of the Office of Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee, and Zhang Yunqing, Member of the Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Management Committee of the Qingdao Sino-German Ecopark, as well as relevant department officials.

The delegation visited the Reception Hall of SDPFTZ Qingdao Area, gaining a comprehensive understanding of its significant achievements in areas including institutional innovation, industrial cluster development, and international cooperation over the past six years since its establishment. During the visit, Mr. Nicolae Vasilescu expressed his deep appreciation for the industrial ecosystem of the Qingdao Area as well as his eagerness to facilitate precise business matchmaking between enterprises from both sides at the earliest opportunity.

In the presence of attending guests, the SDPFTZ Qingdao Area Management Committee and CCIRC formally signed a memorandum of cooperation and agreed to establish a Qingdao representative office. This marks a commitment to deepen collaboration in areas including information sharing, business cooperation, and economic and trade exchanges. The signing of the document is expected to further strengthen economic and trade ties between Romania and Shandong and Qingdao, creating new opportunities for cooperation in trade, investment, and technological research and development, thereby promoting mutually beneficial and coordinated development.

Mr. Wang Xiangyu stated that in recent years, Qingdao and Romania have maintained close exchanges in sister-city relations, economic and trade cooperation, and other areas. He expressed hope that the delegation's visit and the signing of the memorandum of cooperation would mark a new beginning, further strengthening the "bridge of friendship" and "bridge of cooperation" between Qingdao and Romania, attracting more Romanian enterprises to invest and operate in Qingdao, and opening a new chapter of win-win cooperation.

As a national "comprehensive pilot platform for reform and opening-up," SDPFTZ Qingdao Area has consistently pursued the goal of high-level opening-up over the past six years. In support of this objective, it has actively integrated into and contributed to the Belt and Road Initiative. Leveraging platforms such as the Qingdao Sino-German Ecopark, it has attracted 67 enterprises from German-speaking countries and registered 296 new investment enterprises from Japan, Republic of Korea, and Southeast Asia, among other regions and countries, thus shaping a diversified pattern of open cooperation.