First Deputy Prime Minister and European and Foreign Affairs Minister Pusić began the second day of her official visit to China with a meeting with her host, Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
“The Chinese market is growing, including imports into the country, and this is a window of opportunity for marketing Croatian products in China,” Wang said. Chinese companies are ready to invest in infrastructure projects in Croatia, namely in the ports of Ploče, Rijeka and Vukovar, in a railway line between Croatia and Hungary, the Pelječac bridge, as well as hydroelectric and thermal power plants. Wang said that individual advantages should be used in developing economic relations, citing Croatia's geographical position and tourism resources as well as Chinese tourists visiting Croatia. “We greatly appreciate the fact that cooperation with China is one of Croatia’s foreign policy priorities,” he said.
The Chinese plan to include Croatia on the list of countries whose citizens do not require a visa for visits of up to 72 hours, which would facilitate communication, especially among business people. As far as Croatia is concerned, we are fully implementing the EU common visa regime and we will work on simplifying the visa issue procedure.
"This visit is a great opportunity in view of the many areas in which Croatia and China can intensify their relations," Pusić said. "Economic cooperation is important, but by advancing cooperation in culture and education we will create conditions for better understanding, and of course for tourism, which means communication between citizens," she added. Pusić proposed selecting one specific Croatian-Chinese project that would at the same time identify obstacles to doing business and find ways to overcome them so that future projects, not just in Croatia but in all EU countries, would be easier to realize.
The two ministers agreed that the multilateral platform – cooperation between China and the EU, would stimulate Chinese-Croatian bilateral relations, as well as cooperation between China and 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Because of its geographical position and transport infrastructure – for instance, the port of Rijeka, Croatia can serve as a very good point of entry to the entire EU market.
Cooperation both bilaterally and as part of the cooperation between China and the 16 European countries is also possible through scientific institutions such as the Centre for Advanced Studies for Southeast Europe in Rijeka or the Centre for Southeast Europe which is to be opened in Dubrovnik by the World Bank.
Pusić and Wang also discussed the situation in the Middle East and Northern Africa, notably the situation in Syria, concluding that a political settlement was the only possible solution to the crisis there and that the recent UN Security Council resolution was an important step in that direction, as well as that all parties should be involved in talks as part of the Geneva II process. Pusić invited her Chinese counterpart to officially visit Croatia.