Minister Pusić wrapped up her stay in Shanghai with a visit to the Pudong free trade zone and meeting with its Deputy Governor Yan Xu. She will continue her official visit to China by visiting Hong Kong. Speaking about the development of Pudong, Yan underlined that since 1990 trade alone had grown from two to 200 billion yuan.
Recently a pilot free trade zone has been opened, consisting of four connected zones (free trade, logistics park, port and airport). It is interesting to note that this new zone has also marked the beginning of trade in currency. In addition, a business center is being built at the site where EXPO 2010 was held – pavilions will house company headquarters, while the venue will host conferences, congresses etc. as well as exhibitions and cultural events. Also in the works is the construction of a new city for one million inhabitants, whose buildings will be completely energy efficient, while the city itself will be a carbon-free zone. Pusić once again expressed Croatia’s interest to cooperate with Shanghai, stressing that Pudong proved that the key to success lay in transport, logistics, simple and transparent procedures, and good management.