Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to the Republic of Croatia Hu Zhaoming, SRCIC Vice Chairman and Secretary General Li Zhonghang, CSEBA President Mario Rendulić, and Vice Mayor of Dubrovnik City Jelka Tepšić addressed the opening ceremony respectively. Over 300 participants from China, Croatia, Republic of Montenegro, Macedonia and Bulgaria were present at the conference.

H.E Hu Zhaoming specified in his speech that Croatia is located at the juncture of the maritime and land Silk Roads so it can make a full use of its unique geographical advantage to strengthen the interaction between Europe and Asia with its airports and harbors. He added, "As a place where Eastern and Western civilizations meet with each other, Croatia can serve as a bridge of cultural exchanges. Tourism is the best way to improve understanding and respects among people along the Belt and Road countries. Therefore I hope the Croatian side provides measures to attract more Chinese companies to come and invest in hotels, sea ports, airports, and other tourism facilities. The golden time for tourism cooperation between China and Croatia is coming. "

SRCIC Vice Chairman and Secretary General Mr. Li Zhonghang said, "In the past 2000 years, the ancient Silk Road has been an embodiment of friendship and cooperation among Asian, European and African people. As the oldest and most influential platform for trade and cultural exchange in human history, it is an invaluable legacy from our forefathers. The modern Silk Road is another great project that calls for all Belt and Road countries to join hands and contribute to building up a global community with a shared future. "

SRCIC Deputy Secretary General and President of Tang West Market Finance Holding Co. Ltd. Huang Dahai introduced the project of High-end Silk Road Business Travel, Silk Road Alliance of Transnational Financial Leasing, and Silk Road Cultural Industry Fund at the forum.

At the signing ceremony, a strategic cooperation agreement was signed between SRCIC and CSEBA with the consensus for coordinated efforts in promoting the economic and trade cooperation between China and Central Eastern Europe as part of building up a community with a shared future.

After the event, Mr. Li had meetings with Mr. Shovket Hazari, Macedonia State Tourism Advisor, Mr. Damir Davidopvic, Secretary of State in Montenegro Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, and Mr. Andriana Petkova, Chair of the Managing Board of the Bulgari-Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce.

Later that day, Mr. Li was interviewed by Croatian state broadcaster Hrvatska Televizija (HRT), Xinhua News Agency, and Phoenix TV, and shared his views on strengthening the cooperation between CSEBA and SRCIC to contribute to the economic growth of both China and Croatia.

The first business visit to Croatia by SRCIC in 2018 has been successful. The meetings and discussions have established direct contact and interaction between the two sides, and will be more for the time to come.