MOLDPRES INTERVIEW // Ambassador Zhihua Dong: Moldova's European integration opens up new opportunities for cooperation. China promoting direct freight route

China respects the European choice of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and is willing to support our country’s development efforts in joining the European Union. In an exclusive interview with MOLDPRES on China’s National Day, marked on October 1, Ambassador Zhihua Dong spoke about new opportunities for cooperation with the Republic of Moldova in areas such as green energy, smart transport, agricultural processing and infrastructure.

The ambassador spoke about promoting Moldovan products on the Chinese market, Moldova’s participation for the first time in China International Import Expo, and the opening of a direct freight transport route between the two countries.

Zhihua Dong also referred to the development of tourism and cultural exchanges, expressing hope that more and more Chinese citizens will discover the Republic of Moldova, culture, traditions and wines.

MOLDPRES: Your Excellency, China celebrates National Day on October 1, while relations between the Republic of Moldova and China have developed in several areas in recent years. At the same time, the Republic of Moldova is engaged in an extensive process of European integration. How do you view Moldovan-Chinese cooperation in this new context?

Zhihua Dong: The Chinese Embassy recently organized a reception dedicated to the 77th anniversary of the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China, which was attended by and addressed by Speaker Igor Grosu. Friends from all sectors, from Moldova’s central and local authorities, gathered to mark this important occasion together. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Grosu and all our friends for their warm wishes. This year marks the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). China has achieved new results in economic and social development and is also making new positive contributions to world peace and development, bringing stability and certainty to a turbulent world.

For more than 30 years, through the joint efforts of the two countries, bilateral relations have developed steadily and healthily. In May this year, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popșoi visited China and held in-depth exchanges with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, giving new impetus to Moldovan-Chinese relations and contributing to new results in practical bilateral cooperation. Next year will mark 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Republic of Moldova. We look forward to working together with the Moldovan side to ensure that bilateral relations make further progress.

At present, Moldova is advancing its European integration process on all fronts. China respects the development path chosen by Moldova and is willing to continue supporting the country’s development and the improvement of the living standards of its population. China is a reliable and trustworthy partner of Moldova and is ready to move forward together with the Moldovan side, supporting each other on issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity and deepening, on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, exchanges and cooperation in the political, economic, social and humanitarian fields, for the benefit of the peoples of both countries.



MOLDPRES: China is one of the leading countries in advanced technologies. In which areas do you believe the Republic of Moldova could benefit most from Chinese experience and technologies? Are there any specific projects you are considering for the coming period?

Zhihua Dong: The photovoltaic park in Criuleni district, built with China’s assistance, has benefited the local population for many years and continues to operate well. In response to Moldova’s energy deficit, the Chinese side plans to build four new photovoltaic power plants and add energy storage capacity through assistance. In July this year, a Chinese preparatory technical study mission visited Moldova for in-depth discussions with Moldovan government institutions about these assistance projects. We are willing to work together with the Moldovan side to implement these projects as soon as possible.

In recent years, Chinese new-energy vehicles have become widely popular in Moldova due to their superior performance and have supported the country’s green, low-carbon development. Agricultural machinery manufactured in China is contributing to the modernization of Moldovan agriculture and can provide integrated solutions, from plowing, sowing and plant protection to harvesting, becoming a source of support for Moldovan farmers. Huawei, which has been operating in Moldova for more than ten years, provides society and the population with high-quality products and services, has effectively reduced communication costs, significantly improved telecommunications infrastructure and strongly stimulated Moldova’s digital transformation.

In the context of the Republic of Moldova’s advancing European integration, we wish to develop cooperation with the Moldovan side in equipment, technologies and investment in areas such as green energy, smart transport, agricultural processing and infrastructure. We hope that the Moldovan side will continue to create a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies, without political interference, in order to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results.

MOLDPRES: Trade between the Republic of Moldova and China has grown, but the trade balance remains unfavorable to Moldova. What opportunities do you see for increasing Moldovan exports to the Chinese market and attracting Chinese investment to the Republic of Moldova?

Zhihua Dong: Through the joint efforts of both sides, grape seed meal and sunflower meal from Moldova are already being exported to China, while a general understanding of intent has been reached regarding the export of honey, cherries and grape seeds to China. The two countries are preparing to convene a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic and Trade Cooperation, which has not met for ten years. On this occasion, the two sides will work to achieve concrete results regarding the export of the aforementioned agricultural products to China, the expansion of investment and cooperation in Moldova, and other issues.

We are actively supporting the Moldovan side in participating for the first time in the National Exhibition within the China International Import Expo (CIIE). This will provide an important showcase for high-quality wines, agricultural products and other distinctive Moldovan products, and the Chinese side has prepared a series of facilities for the Republic of Moldova’s participation. We are also promoting the opening of a direct freight transport route between the two countries in order to address the high transportation costs of Moldovan products to China.

The doors of the Chinese Embassy are always open to Moldova’s business community. We are willing to actively facilitate contacts in Moldovan-Chinese economic and trade cooperation and to provide support to Moldovan companies interested in cooperating with China. China is currently organizing a wide range of economic, trade and investment activities under themes such as “Buy in China,” “Export to China” and “Invest in China.” We invite the Moldovan side to actively participate in major fairs and exhibitions such as CIIE, the Canton Fair, the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) and the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), in order to continuously reduce the bilateral trade deficit through new results in economic, trade and investment cooperation.



MOLDPRES: Cultural cooperation plays an important role in bringing China and Moldova closer together. What initiatives could contribute to the mutual promotion of the culture, traditions, heritage and tourism of the two countries?

Zhihua Dong: Moldova has beautiful landscapes and sincere people, preserves an authentic natural environment and boasts wineries with distinctive specialties and unique tourism resources. China is promoting Moldova’s recognition as a tourist destination for Chinese citizens, hoping that more and more Chinese people will come closer to Moldova, get to know it and grow fond of it.

Since the beginning of this year, “Happy Chinese New Year” artistic tour and “Turandot” opera performance by the National Opera of China, presented in Moldova, have enjoyed remarkable success. The Embassy organized the China Day event in Chișinău for the first time, enabling thousands of Moldovans to experience Chinese culture in an immersive way. Since the launch of the third phase of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center project, more than 3,000 patients have been served. An increasing number of schools are introducing Chinese-language courses. The space for Moldovan-Chinese cooperation in humanitarian exchanges is vast, and the Chinese Embassy will continue to promote reciprocal visits by artistic groups from the two countries and strengthen cultural and youth exchanges.

Relations between states are supported by the closeness of their peoples, and the foundation of Moldovan-Chinese relations is the people. Recently, the Chinese Embassy, in cooperation with Moldova’s Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center, organized the short video contest “My Story with Traditional Chinese Medicine.” Submissions close at the end of the year—we invite you to participate enthusiastically! In addition, every month the Embassy publishes quizzes on its Facebook account about China’s realities and culture. We invite you to like and comment on the posts. On the occasion of next year’s 35th anniversary of the establishment of Moldovan-Chinese diplomatic relations, we will invite lucky fans to the Embassy’s Open Day event. A new book of Chinese folk stories in Romanian will be released soon—stay tuned!

I am confident that as mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries deepens, Moldovan-Chinese relations and cooperation in various fields will certainly bear fruitful results.



Chinese people are marking 77 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, proclaimed in Beijing on October 1, 1949. National Day is one of the most important holidays in the Chinese calendar and is celebrated through official ceremonies and events dedicated to the country’s history, development and achievements.