Croatia in full swing with Belt and Road: ambassador

The two countries signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents in several areas, including trade and investment, tourism, quality inspection, and sports during the Chinese premier's visit, right followed by a forum on Belt and Road physical education in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, the week after. Delegates from more than 30 sport colleges from around the world participated the forum.

About 100 Chinese junior soccer players are getting trained in Croatia and the 2018 World Cup runner-up is keen to work with China in sports beyond soccer, like handball and water polo, according to the ambassador.

Croatian enterprises are ever active in further entering the Chinese market after China adopted its first Foreign Investment Law last month. The law coming to effect on January 1, 2020 is an "excellent" step of China to be more open to the world, the ambassador said.

Croatian electric car brand Rimac and high voltage equipment producer Kon?ar have established joint ventures in China, while ventures in the IT sector are starting partnerships in China.

The Mediterranean country on the Balkan Peninsula is emerging as one of the hot destinations for Chinese holiday-goers and the country's historic World Cup performance last year further boosts its attractiveness. The ancient city of Dubrovnik is the main filming location for King's Landing in the blockbuster TV series Game of Thrones.

The country welcomed more than 250,000 Chinese visitors last year, 100,000 more than the year before, while the number of visa applications saw an almost 100 percent increase year-on-year during the first four months this year, according to the ambassador. He predicts a booming increase this year as 2019 marks the Year of Culture and Tourism for the two countries, and direct flights linking the two countries are becoming mutual concerned.

The video is shot by Lin Siyu and edited by Yan Jin.

Contact the writer at guanxm@chinadaily.com.cn