Ștefan RĂDEANU, UGIR Secretary General, at FERM 2025: “Romania must return to a higher league of international trade”
100 economic opportunities for the development of the Moldova Region on the A7 Highway route
REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM MOLDOVA 2025
19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025
Thematic Panel:
Positioning Moldova in the Romania – China Economic Partnership
Speaker:
Topic of the speech:
“UGIR’s Perspective on the Chinese Market and Bilateral Economic Cooperation”
The economic partnership between Romania and China remains a strategic direction with enormous potential, yet insufficiently exploited – this is one of the conclusions of the intervention delivered by Ștefan Rădeanu, UGIR Secretary General, during Panel 3 of the Regional Economic Forum Moldova 2025, dedicated to foreign trade.
A relationship built through press and economic diplomacy
Ștefan Rădeanu emphasized the importance of accurate information channels, mentioning a European first: the unique partnership between Curierul Național and CCTV Plus, ongoing for over five years:
“It is the only newspaper in Europe with a multi-year contract with CCTV Plus. We broadcast daily news from China, provided by Radio China International – Romanian section. It is not just a commercial relationship. I also insisted on editorial control – I requested in the contract the freedom to modify the text, without losing its essence, even the title.”
This independent approach, says Rădeanu, was initially met with suspicion but generated notable results, including within the Romanian business community in China, confirmed by a spontaneous meeting with Gelu Chen, an importer of Romanian wines: “Curierul Național? Well, you know, every day I send your news to my community!”
Lack of official representation – a systemic problem
As head of the delegation of journalists from Central and Eastern Europe in the China–CEE cooperation, Rădeanu highlighted the contrast between the involvement of other countries – Poland, Greece, Hungary – and the absence of official Romanian representatives:
“Our host, the minister in charge of China-CEE relations, thanked Greece, Poland… He passed me over. And the explanation? Romania had an interim government.”
This institutional absence has direct consequences:
“Romania does not have a commercial attaché in Beijing. We have one stationed in Shanghai. What are we even talking about?” Rădeanu pointed out, warning that without active diplomatic presence, commercial opportunities risk being missed.
Romania – the overlooked model of a historic friendship
One of the memorable moments of the speech was recounting a personal experience in Beijing, where a Chinese taxi driver identified Romania by… Ciprian Porumbescu.
“I almost fell out of the car. I have told this story at every conference – because it demonstrates that there is a living memory, a historic friendship. But we risk losing this symbolic capital.”
Rădeanu also described the complexity of the delegation’s program, carefully planned by the Chinese side:
“Morning – archaeological site. At lunch – company headquarters. Evening – research center. I realized it was a philosophy: past, present, future. That is why they have come this far.”
Development models that can inspire Romania
In another illustrative example, Rădeanu described a visit to a coal mine in northern China, fully digitally managed from the surface, with minimal environmental impact and maximum efficiency:
“15 employees, joysticks, screens. Underground, fully autonomous machinery. The hill had been stripped, mined, then replanted with forest. They even had a Ferris wheel, like in London.”
Romania – regional leader in trade with China, but without a consolidated strategy
Facing questions from CGTN about a possible cooling of Romania–China relations, Rădeanu was blunt:
“Who told you that? Is there any official statement? I have other data.” These came from the Chinese Embassy in Bucharest: bilateral trade volume reached $13.45 billion, with a spectacular increase of 46.7%. “We are regional leaders in this area, but it remains to be seen if we manage to consolidate this position through coherent policies.”
Call to action for the business environment in Romania and Moldova
In conclusion, Rădeanu issued a clear call to Romanian and Moldovan entrepreneurs:
“It depends on you if you come with projects. If you go to China alone, you have no chance. Turn to associative environments, to UGIR, to structures like FESCO – you can quickly establish representations.”
UGIR has already presented three key projects to Chinese partners: one in media, one in construction, and one in tourism, with an emphasis on developing spa tourism on the Black Sea coast: “It is a niche we want to develop strategically,” he concluded.
