Croatia hopes to further cooperation

Croatia aims to become the entry point for substantive cooperation between China and the 16 states of Central and Eastern Europe, Croatia's first deputy prime minister has said.

Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe will boost Croatia's bilateral cooperation with China, Vesna Pusic said.

"It is important and helpful for us that China has decided to focus on this part of Europe," she said.

Pusic, also the Croatian minister of foreign and European affairs, made her first official visit to China from Nov 4 to Nov 8.

She said China's focus on the region is in line with the European cohesion policy, which aims to equalize the development levels of different member states.

"I think ties between China and countries in Central and Eastern Europe should be furthered, and we are very supportive of that," she said.

Pusic said her visit to China is committed to "turning words into deeds" in terms of bilateral cooperation.

China has always valued its relations with countries in that region. In April 2012, then-premier Wen Jiabao announced a series of cooperative initiatives and projects when he attended the first China-Central and Eastern Europe leaders' meeting in Warsaw, Poland.

The two sides also established the Secretariat for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries.

Europeans have witnessed China's enormously rapid development and expansion as well as its growing influence and importance in global economic relations over the past decades, she said.

Pusic acknowledged that Europe was not as successful as it could be in partnering with China. "Of course, there are a lot of projects and there is a lot of European investment in China and vice versa", but few opportunities have materialized over the years, she said.

"Some parts of Europe, Croatia included, haven't made full use of it," she said. "I think there could be a lot more."

Croatia has decided to focus its cooperation with China on a specific region or city, Pusic told China Daily.

"We think Shanghai is a possible partner for Croatia ... If it were successful, there would gradually also be other opportunities for us elsewhere," said Pusic, who visited Shanghai on Nov 6.

As for the many projects Croatia and China have discussed over the years, Croatia would like to "focus on one in bilateral relations" and try to make it succeed, she said.

"Through the process of identifying problems and obstacles and finding ways to solve them, we could lay foundations for any other future projects," she said.

"And we can also contribute to furthering China's cooperation with the European Union in general."

Pusic said Croatia's strength lies primarily in transportation, including ports, highways, railways and airports. "By participating in such projects and infrastructure in Croatia, China will actually work with many more countries than Croatia," she said.

"This is an area in which we can contribute not only our cooperation but ... broader cooperation between China and that part of Europe, because Croatia is sort of an ‘entry point' for infrastructure."

Croatia is also "a good entry point" for Chinese who travel through Europe, she said." Zagreb Airport is a three- or four-hour drive from Vienna, Venice, Budapest and Belgrade, so you can cover the entire southern part of Europe," she said.

"By landing in Zagreb, you can see all of that region, and usually when Chinese tourists come to Europe, they want to see more than just one country."

Croatia is very interested in attracting Chinese tourists, she added.