"Peljesac Bridge is a prominent project for promoting Chinese equipment, technology and know-how in the construction industry in Croatia and globally, and it will deepen mutually beneficial relations between China and Croatia and the EU," China's ambassador to Croatia, Qi Qianjin, said, according to Croatia's state agency Hina which quoted China's state agency Xinhua report as carried by the English-language state newspaper China Daily.

“The project has been supported and followed with great interest and appreciation by the leaders of both China and Croatia,” Qi Qianjin told Xinhua, as reported by China Daily on Tuesday.

He praised Chinese enterprises that have overcome the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and completed the project on schedule. He also called Peljesac Bridge “a symbol of the fruitful cooperation between China and Croatia within the framework of a broader cooperation scheme between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEEC Cooperation). ”

Qi was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the bridge, the largest infrastructure project undertaken so far by China in Croatia, was a symbol of good cooperation between China and Europe. “The project greatly contributed to economic growth in Croatia and more broadly in Europe, as it employed over 250 local people, while it also helped to cultivate engineering, technical and management skills, thus effectively driving the development of local enterprises and promoting Croatia’s economic and social development,” Qi said

“A total of 18 design and consulting enterprises and 45 construction companies in the EU, as well as 112 global equipment and material suppliers, participated in the project,” he said. “Chinese enterprises strictly followed relevant environmental protection regulations of the EU and Croatia to minimize the impact of the project on the surrounding environment,” he added.

Qi said he had been aware of the concerns of local oyster producers over the possible negative impact of the construction project on the quality and volume of oyster production at the nearby Ston Bay. “However, thanks to the highest environmental protection standards observed throughout the project, no negative impact has been observed. On the contrary, the bridge has opened up new sales routes,” Qi added.

“The opening of the new bridge is expected to further deepen the mutual political trust between China and Croatia, strengthen the alignment of the development strategies of the two sides, and expand cooperation in various fields such as economy and trade,” Qi said.

“In summary, it will take the comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Croatia to a new level,” he added.