ZAGREB, November 1, 2018 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will be on a working visit to China from November 2 to 6, during which he will meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and other officials to discuss bilateral cooperation and cooperation in the China+16 format, the Croatian prime minister's public relations office announced in a press release on Wednesday.

Plenković will start his visit in Beijing, where he will meet with his host, Premier Li, and other Chinese officials and business people. The meetings are expected to reaffirm the good relationship and intensive political dialogue between the two countries, and discuss all aspects of bilateral cooperation and cooperation in the China+16 format, the press release said.

In 2019, Croatia will host the next meeting of the China+16 initiative which promotes cooperation between the world's second largest economy and countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Plenković and Li have met several times in the last two years, including at the China+16 summit in Sofia in July and the ASEM summit in Brussels in October.

After Beijing, the Croatian prime minister travels to Hangzhou on November 3 to meet with Che Jun, the Governor of Zhejiang province with which Croatia already has dynamic relations in terms of trade and business contacts. He is due to visit the 36-km-long Hangzhou Bay Bridge in the company of Lu Shan, the CEO of the China Road and Bridge Corporation, the company that will build the Pelješac Bridge.

The Croatian prime minister will then travel to Shanghai, the world's largest port, where, along with many world leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping, he will attend the opening of the China International Import Expo fair, which is expected to attract over 2,800 companies from around the world. Croatia will be represented by a delegation of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and Croatian companies.

During his stay in Shanghai, Plenković will participate as a panellist in the Trade & Innovation Forum, and will open the office of the Croatian Tourist Board in the city.

Plenković will wrap up his visit to China by participating in a Chinese-Croatian business forum organised by the HGK, where business and investment opportunities in Croatia will be presented to Chinese partners.

Want to know more about Pelješac bridge construction? Click here.

A Croatian government delegation will travel to China to give a new, important impetus to further co-operation between China and Croatia. On Saturday, the Croatian Investment Forum in Beijing will gather representatives of some of the largest companies from China, but also Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, reports seebiz.eu on October 31, 2018.

Prior to the forum, Prime Minister Plenković will meet with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang on Friday to discuss overall Chinese-Croatian relations, with a special emphasis on economic co-operation, more specifically China's investments in Croatia.

In addition to Prime Minister Plenković, the delegation will include Transport Minister Oleg Butković, Regional Development Minister Gabrijela Žalac, State Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism Frano Matušić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts Nataša Mikuš Žigman, Zadar County Prefect Božidar Longin and many others.

The next day, the prime minister will attend an investment forum in Beijing where some of the largest Chinese companies will formalise their interest in investing in Croatia. State Construction Engineering Corporation, China Railway, State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited and Fanhua Group are just some of the giant Chinese companies that have expressed interest in investing in Croatia. Many agreements and letters of intent will be signed, which should mark the beginning of a new phase in Chinese-Croatian economic relations.

Infrastructure projects, including the container terminal in Zadar and the modernisation of the Zadar Airport, are some of the most interesting ones. Shipbuilding will be among the most important topics discussed at the investment forum. Chinese interest is good news for Croatian shipbuilding since among ten shipyards with the largest number of new orders, there are four shipyards from China. By ships delivered, half of the world’s largest shipyards are located in China.

Potentially one of the most attractive projects is the establishment of the international monetary settlement centre for renminbi (yuan). Zagreb and Croatia would become one of the most important points of the international money markets, bearing in mind the growing influence of Chinese currency in the international financial networks.

The Croatian investment forum in Beijing has drawn a great deal of media interest and it will be covered by the largest Chinese television and print media, as well as online media.

Want to know more about the relations between China and Croatia? Click here.

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Xinhua says that Yugo has become a tourist attraction in the Croatian capital.

ZAGREB, September 25, 2018 - A leading Chinese shipping company, COSCO Shipping, wants to include the southern Croatian seaport of Ploče in its business plans for the purpose of establishing regular shipping connections whereby Ploče Port can become an import-export destination as of 2019, the director of COSCO's regional office Vladimir Lekić said in Sarajevo on Tuesday.

ZAGREB, September 21, 2018 - Croatia's Minister of Culture Nina Obuljen Koržinek and her Chinese counterpart Luo Shugang met on Thursday in Dubrovnik on the margins of a "China + 16" ministerial conference for the talks on the continuation of successful bilateral cooperation in the area of culture between the two countries.

Talks on establishing direct flights between Croatia and China are intensifying, reports ExYuAviation on September 20, 2018. 

ZAGREB, September 19, 2018 - A joint statement on cooperation in the area of tourism was signed in Dubrovnik on Wednesday by member states of the "China + 16" initiative as part of a ministerial conference that attracted more than 100 participants.

ZAGREB, September 17, 2018 - Croatia and China seek to expand their cooperation in the tourist industry, which will require direct flights between the two countries, services tailored to Chinese tourists' needs and simplified visa procedures, Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli and Chinese Ambassador Zhaoming Hu said ahead of a tourist conference in Dubrovnik.

The hotel is categorized as “platinum five stars”.