Chao News client reporter Wang Yimin, He Lingyao, Xu Yiwen
When you think of Croatia, you think of the romantic Croatian rhapsody, the Plaid Army of the World Cup, or the beautiful ancient Mediterranean city.
Many people may not know that Croatia is also the home of Marco Polo.
In the 13th century, the great traveler Marco Polo visited China along the ancient Silk Road, and his travelogue opened a window for Westerners to understand China.
Thousands of miles away, this seemingly inconspicuous European country is inextricably linked with China: from "overseas Chinese" to "bridge", from "port" to "port". Under the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Croatia have played a rhapsody of friendship.
Croatia Source: Visual China
Start with Marco Polo
In the capital city of Zagreb, in the middle of an ancient building complex, the sun shines on the medieval stone walls, and the glass windows of the red-roofed attic reflect the clear blue sky.
In order to visit the Croatian-Chinese Friendship Association, the reporter walked into an old building and trotted down the spiral staircase, where the president, Andrea Karafilipovich, was already waiting at the entrance of the building. He had gray hair and a smile in his sunken eyes. He wore a neat suit with a Chinese national emblem pinned to his chest.
Sitting around the round table, our topic began with Marco Polo's Hangzhou.
In the 13th century, Marco Polo came to Hangzhou and called it "the most beautiful and elegant city in the world". Today's Hangzhou is a perfect combination of ancient humanities and modern cities.
Andrea has been to Hangzhou twice. Although he didn't speak English, he said a string of compliments in Croatian: West Lake is beautiful, I love the scenery of Hangzhou, I love the culture there.
Knowing that Alibaba was from Hangzhou, the secretary of the association on the side interjected excitedly: I have been shopping on Alibaba recently, and the gifts and decorations for the holidays are all Chinese goods purchased online, and they can be delivered to Zagreb in a week or two.
"China is like a big store, you can buy almost everything from a needle to a car. Therefore, today's China is a role model for the world and a peacemaker. Andrea said.
President of the Croatian-Chinese Friendship Association Andrea Karafilippović
Andrea is a proper collector, and the whole room is full of China-related objects: photos of the Great Wall taken decades ago, photos of Chinese ethnic minority costumes, the 20th-century People's Daily, the fourth edition of the renminbi banknotes, and the walls are covered with photos of him and his Chinese friends.
During the conversation, Andrea rummaged through the cabinets for a while and found a certificate of honor for us, with golden Chinese characters on the dark green cover, which was a treasure he had treasured for many years. In 2001, Andrea was awarded the title of "People's Friendship Envoy" by the Chinese Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
President's Certificate of Honor
In the past two years, at the Silk Road Photography Touring Exhibition held in Croatia, Andrea proudly said: "I took most of the photos in China!" In more than 30 cities in Croatia, he held exhibitions and lectures, and everyone from urban residents to rural villagers liked to see them.
Andrea's relationship with China began very early. More than 30 years ago, when he first heard about Confucius and saw the Analects in Croatian, he was immediately fascinated by philosophical ideas. He began to study Chinese history Xi, read ancient poetry, and spread his knowledge to the Croats.
"I have seen China 30 years ago, and I know China today. I've been to many cities, I've seen small bungalows, and I've seen skyscrapers with dozens of floors. I remember what Beijing's airport used to look like, and now the terminal is so modern and beautiful. Andrea said.
In 2015, Andrea flew to Xi'an, China, to participate in the Belt and Road Local Leaders' Dialogue, which he attended on behalf of Croatian friends, and he still retains the Xi'an Statement signed at the meeting.
The Belt and Road Initiative has opened a trade route for many countries. "From Marco Polo to the present, we have good trade relations with China, which is an example of the world economy and peace, which is why the Silk Road is so important," Andrea said. ”
Today, Andrea's Croatia-China Friendship Association is one of the most active associations not only in Croatia, but also in the European Union.
The story from "Qiao" to "Bridge".
Not far from Zagreb's old town, the Chinese embassy in Croatia is built on a hillside, with the five-star red flag visible in the distance, as well as several red-roofed buildings.
Inside the main entrance, there is an elegant Chinese screen, flanked by the flags of China and Croatia. The Chao News reporter walked into the reception room, and Ambassador Qi Qianqian greeted us with a smile and shook hands warmly. For this meeting, Ambassador Qi Qianqian specially adjusted his itinerary.
After listening to the reporter's briefing on Chao News, Ambassador Qi Qianjin was very touched: "Your visit to me is the first press corps from China since I took office more than two years ago. This is particularly consistent with the spirit of Zhejiang people's courage to stand at the head of the tide, take the lead and struggle. ”
Following the topic of Chao News reporters, Ambassador Qi Qianjin talked about the relationship between Croatia and Zhejiang. "We have a deep relationship with Croatia. What we feel most deeply is that the overseas Chinese here are basically from Zhejiang, especially Qingtian and Wenzhou. ”
Interview with Ambassador Qi Qianqian
Most of the Chinese in Croatia have been here for decades and have worked hard here, most of them are engaged in trade, opening restaurants, and some in infrastructure. They were the first to establish the image of Chinese here, diligent and down-to-earth, daring to think.
Ambassador Qi Qianjin said that the impression of Zhejiang people is that they can endure hardships and stand bravely at the forefront of the tide, Zhejiang is a pioneer of Chinese-style modernization, and it is also a strong province of opening up, whether it is in China-Central and Eastern European cooperation, or in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", Zhejiang plays a pioneering role.
In the ten years since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, Croatia's impression of Chinese has also been upgraded: from overseas Chinese in the past to a bridge today, China has established a new image in Croatia.
The most praised Sino-Croatian cooperation project is the Peljesac Bridge. In the past, the north and south continents of Croatia were separated, and from the north to the southern peninsula, it was necessary to make a detour to other countries, and it took at least a few hours for people to enter and exit the customs.
Since 2018, the construction of the Peljesac Bridge has been undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation. In July last year, the bridge was successfully completed and opened to traffic, connecting the northern and southern parts of Croatia and realizing the long-cherished wish of the Croatians for a century, which is of strategic significance to Croatia.
Locally, this bridge is not only called the Peljesac Bridge, but also the China Bridge. The local people's understanding of China is also improving and developing, and they feel the power of China's speed and infrastructure, and they have also deepened their trust in Chinese enterprises. ”
"The Peljesac Bridge connects not only the north and the south, but also the hearts and minds of the two countries. Ambassador Qi Qianjin concluded, "From "overseas Chinese" to "bridge", in the past, people and goods came, but now it is the people's hearts and minds, and Croatia has more gratitude to China. ”
Talking about China-Croatia cooperation in the next decade, Ambassador Qi Qianjin took Zhejiang as an example: "There are many high-tech enterprises in Croatia, such as robotics and automated automobile companies, and Zhejiang not only has a well-developed small commodity trade, but also the world's largest port, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, which is in a leading position in the fields of high-tech and energy. ”
In Ambassador Qi's view, Zhejiang and Croatia can make use of their own industrial advantages, tap new advantages, and carry out cooperation in some new fields. "In the future, Zhejiang and Croatia can explore cooperation in new energy and high-tech, from basic products, small commodities to high-tech, to form more bilateral complementary products. ”
"The friendly exchanges between the two countries should be supported by pragmatic cooperation projects, including economic, trade and investment projects. China-Croatia relations require not only intergovernmental cooperation, but also enterprise investment cooperation, as well as local cooperation between China and Croatia. Ambassador Qi Qianqian said.
The same blue of the two major ports
Endless blue, clear waves, this is the Mediterranean Sea written by writers. In the Mediterranean of Croatia, there is a romance of the industrial age.
Crane towers are lined up on the docks, huge ships are moored in the calm sea, colorful containers are piled up, docks make sporadic knocking sounds, and ships waiting to be repaired are neatly arranged.
Port of Rijeka
The modern port city of Rijeka stands right in the blue sea and blue sky. Cargo ships from all over the world dock here, loading and unloading cargo. The Port of Rijeka is one of the largest ports in Croatia and is not only a gateway for passengers and freight, but also an international hub for container traffic.
A veteran local guide told us that Rijeka's prosperity comes from the port. This centuries-old port was once home to Jadrolinia, Croatia's largest shipping company, as well as several ship repair yards, where cargo ships and military vessels from all over the world were repaired.
"The port industry here has driven the local economic development, and later the tourism and real estate industries have gradually developed, and more and more yachts and cruise ships have come here. The guide said that in the past, almost no one would come here to visit, and now there are even some Chinese faces on the streets of Rijeka.
In fact, this Mediterranean port also has an indissoluble bond with Zhejiang. As the world's largest cargo throughput in the world, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has more than 10 routes to Central and Eastern European countries every year. Last year, the five largest ports in Central and Eastern Europe, including Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and Rijeka Port, completed 769,000 TEUs of import and export containers, a figure more than three times that of 2014.
"China's annual trade with Europe is about $800 billion, most of which is transported by sea and a small part by land, so the role of maritime trade is very important. Ambassador Qi Qianjin told reporters that a large part of the maritime trade between China and Europe is through the port of Ningbo Zhoushan, and part of it is from the port of Ningbo Zhoushan to the port of Rijeka.
At present, the annual trade volume between China and Croatia is about 2 billion US dollars, and the port of Rijeka, as the main port of Sino-Croatian trade, has also played an important role in China-Croatia trade.
In recent years, the Port of Rijeka, like the Port of Ningbo Zhoushan, is exploring the path of transformation from a traditional port to an intelligent port. The century-old port was in trouble for a time. In recent years, the Croatian government has been determined to revitalize the port of Rijeka as one of Europe's most important transport gateways.
In the view of Ambassador Qi Qianjian, an important area of cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative is infrastructure connectivity. Especially after the epidemic, in the process of global economic recovery, China and Central and Eastern Europe need to further expand trade, and cooperation in ports, railways, highways, aviation and other fields are the direction of future efforts.
"Please indicate the source for reprinting"