China will provide 5 million yuan (US$600,000) worth of economic aid to Bulgaria under an agreement reached between the foreign ministers of the two countries, the Chinese embassy in Sofia said Saturday.

Under the agreement, reached through an exchange of notes by Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and his Bulgarian counterpart Nadezhada Mikhailova, the aid will be used for development projects in Bulgaria's education and labor sectors.

An embassy official said Mikhailova, expressing her thanks on behalf of her government, told the Chinese ambassador on Friday that Bulgaria is satisfied with the fruitful development of bilateral relations this year and that Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's visit to Bulgaria in June opened up new prospects for the China-Bulgaria ties.

To develop long-term friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with China is in keeping with the long-term interests of Bulgaria, she said.

In 1999, China donated to Bulgaria 250 computers worth three million yuan (US$362,000).

(Xinhua 12/24/2000)