During his China trip, Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic visited on Sunday Shanghai, met with Mayor Ying Yong, and toured the 36-kilometre-long Hangzhou Bay Bridge which was built by the same company that is supposed to construct the Peljesac bridge in Croatia.

The Hangzhou Bay Bridge, which was opened in 2008, is a highway bridge across the Hangzhou Bay and connects the municipalities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. The bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Shanghai and the world’s biggest seaport of Ningbo from 400 to 180 kilometres, thus reducing travel time from four to two hours.

The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) managed to build this cable-stayed bridge with the longest span of 448 metres in five years. CRBC executives informed PM Plenkovic about this bridge, which is one of the longest highway bridges in the world.

After his talks with the Shanghai mayor Ying, the Croatian Premier said that the Croatian delegation had the opportunity to see how the CRBC corporation had been successful in completing the demanding job of building that 36-kilometre-long bridge within five years.

“This is an extraordinary success,” Plenkovic said.

On April 23 this year, the Croatian road operator (HC) and the CRBC signed a contract for the construction of Peljesac Bridge and access roads, worth HRK 2.08 billion (EUR 281 million) excluding VAT.

The construction of the 2.4 kilometres-long and 55 metres-high bridge started in July and should be finished within 36 months. The Peljesac Bridge will link the Peljesac peninsula with Croatia’s mainland and bypass the 15-kilometre-long stretch of the coast of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country’s only access to the Adriatic Sea.

The bridge will effectively connect the Dubrovnik area and the rest of Croatia.

The Croatian delegation’s visit is focused on boosting economic ties. Plenkovic will on Monday attend the opening of China International Import Expo in Shanghai and a meeting with Huawei top executives and a panel discussion called “Trade & Innovation” is also on his agenda.

The Prime Minister will also formally open the office of the Croatian National Tourism Board (HTZ) in China’s most populated city and take part in a Croatian-Chinese business forum, organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).

The HGK set up its office in Shanghai a year ago in a bid to provide stronger institutionalised support to all Croatian companies entering the Chinese market.