Croatia wants to attract Chinese investors, says parliament speaker

Zagreb - Croatia wants to attract Chinese investors and after joining the European Union on July 1, it has become China's reliable partner in Europe, Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko and Chinese Ambassador Shen Zhifei said in Zagreb on Tuesday at a celebration of China's national holiday.

Croatia wants to attract Chinese investors in infrastructure, new technologies and the green economy, Leko said at a reception on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. He recalled that the Croatian government had presented to China projects that could be of interest to Chinese investors.

Last year, China encouraged cooperation with 16 Central European Countries, creating new possibilities for expanding economic and trade cooperation with Croatia, said the ambassador. Croatia and China are close friends and good partners and after its EU accession, Croatia has become a reliable partner to China within Europe, he added. China has entered a stage of medium-high development but with a 7.5 per cent growth rate, it remains in the fast development stage on the global level, he said.

Leko congratulated all Chinese on their national holiday, saying this year was the time to achieve the full potential in Croatian-Chinese economic relations. He said that thanks to high level visits, the two countries had built excellent political foundations on which they would build "stronger economic relations."