ZAGREB, November 4, 2018 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković who is paying a working visit to China from 2 to 6 November, on Sunday visited Shanghai and held talks with Mayor Ying Yong, and during his stay in this Chinese commercial hub he also toured the 36-kilometre-long Hangzhou Bay Bridge, built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) which has been awarded the contract to construct Croatia's Pelješac Bridge.
Hangzhou Bay Bridge, which was inaugurated in 2008, is a highway bridge across Hangzhou Bay and connects the municipalities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. The bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Shanghai and the world biggest seaport of Ningbo from 400 to 180 kilometres, thus reducing travel time from four to two hours.
The CRBC corporation managed to build this cable-stayed bridge with the longest spam of 448 metres in five years. CRBC executives informed Plenković about the characteristics of the bridge, which is one of the longest highway bridges in the world.
After his talks with the Shanghai mayor Ying, the prime minister said that during the visit to Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the Croatian delegation had an opportunity to see how the CRBC corporation had been successful in completing the demanding job of building that 36-kilometre-long bridge within five years. “This is an extraordinary success,” Plenković said.
On 23 April this year, the Croatian road operator (Hrvatske Ceste) and the CRBC signed a contract for the construction of Pelješac Bridge and access roads, worth 2.08 billion kuna (281 million euro) excluding VAT. The bridge will be 2.4 kilometres long and 55 metres high. It should be built in 36 months and the beginning of the work was in July.
The Pelješac Bridge is to be constructed between the Croatian mainland and Pelješac peninsula to bypass the 15-kilometre-long stretch of the coast at Neum where Bosnia and Herzegovina has access to the Adriatic Sea. The bridge will ensure connectivity between the Dubrovnik area and the rest of Croatia.
Croatian delegation's visit to Shanghai focuses on boosting economic ties
On Monday, Prime Minister Plenković and many other foreign leaders will attend the opening of China International Import Expo in Shanghai.
The prime minister is due to hold a meeting with Huawei top executives and also participate in the panel discussion "Trade & Innovation" in Shanghai. He will formally open the office of the Croatian National Tourism Board (HTZ) in the largest city in China by population and will participate in a Croatian-Chinese business forum to be organised there by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK). The HGK set up its office in Shanghai a year ago in a bid to provide stronger institutionalised support to all Croatian companies entering the Chinese market.
To read more about the Pelješac Bridge construction, click here.
