by Marian Draganov

SOFIA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Katya Staykova fell in love with China seven years ago and since then has been building bridges between the two nations.

The 53-year-old from the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, with a background in journalism and public relations, joined the newly-established local-based Bulgarian-Chinese Business Development Association (BCBDA) in 2011, where she works as the director of education, culture and science, and is also its vice president.

Staykova has been preparing for the establishment of sister city relations between Plovdiv with the Chinese metropolis Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

She has over 200 Chinese contacts in her WeChat, a very popular social media app in China. In particular, she has established close contacts in Shenzhen following its twinning with Plovdiv.

What has impressed her most is China's development.

"The Chinese model of development is unique. I have not seen it elsewhere, and I very much like the fact that it is trying to raise the standard of living for its entire population in a very short time," Staykova said.

Staykova, who spoke to Xinhua on the eve of the seventh leaders' meeting of China and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, said she has been actively involved in the establishment of the first 16+1 E-commerce Logistics Hub and Pavilion for Agricultural and other Products.

The project, the first of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe under the 16+1 cooperation mechanism, was inaugurated at Bulgaria's Trakia Economic Zone (TEZ) near Plovdiv last November.

In the Balkan country, where Chinese investment during the last 20 years totaled 156 million U.S. dollars, the hub is one of the few real China-focused projects at the national level in cooperation with municipalities and private businesses, Staykova said.

Staykova also helped promote cultural events such as a concert by the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in Plovdiv in 2014.

In 2017, she participated in organizing and promoting the conference "EU-China 2018 - Year of Tourism and New Investment Opportunities for the Bulgarian Tourism Sector" and the organization of the third working meeting for the China and CEE countries' Association of Provincial Governors in Plovdiv.

Staykova said Bulgaria needs to deepen its relations with China.

"I think the world must be multipolar," she said, adding that China is one of the major poles of this multipolar world.

China could also contribute to the development of Bulgaria, and "we can start with Chinese tourists," she said.