Deep bond forged with key project

Selma Knudsen, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, visited her friend in Mozambique in 2017 when the China Road and Bridge Corp, or CRBC, was building the longest suspension bridge in Africa between Maputo and Katembe.

A civil engineer by training, Knudsen felt it was so nice there and she hoped to stay there. Her friend suggested that she talk to the Chinese company, but the idea of working for a Chinese company sounded a bit strange to her back then.

But a year later, she joined the CRBC in Croatia. The construction company was building the Peljesac Bridge, which spans the sea channel between Komarna on the northern mainland and the peninsula of Peljesac.

"For me, it's not just a job, it's a crown on my career. It's a life story," she recalled in an interview on April 12. "It was like a dream come true because I had always been thinking about working here."

As a senior commercial coordinator, she had to find subcontractors, prepare contracts, hold negotiations and ensure contracts are followed. She was also in charge of procurement and quality control.

After nearly four years of working on the bridge project, she and her Chinese colleagues became good friends.

"We had lots of fun. It was such a great experience. I really enjoyed it," she said, adding she still keeps in touch with her former Chinese colleagues who are now working in other parts of Europe and the world.

Knudsen, who now works in the Croatian capital Zagreb, has gone back to the bridge five to six times after its completion.