The Chinese companies say that Rijeka-Zagreb has been renewed in order to connect the Rijeka port with Zagreb and Budapest, primarily for freight transport, so that Rijeka will become the largest port of European product on the Chinese market, Horvat said.

"With long-term concession, we have offered Chinese investors to build that line," he said.

The minister could not tell if the Chinese were building a track for how many years they would be offered a concession. He said he was still negotiating.

"Financial Croatia does not want to enter into such a big project independently, and Chinese partners to build a track offer long-term concessions," he said.