At the invitation of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will pay an official visit to Croatia and attend the 8th Summit of Heads of Government of CEEC and China, 9-12 April 2019, in Zagreb and Dubrovnik.
This is the Chinese premier’s first visit to Croatia. Plenković and Li met five times in the past two years, once during the Croatian prime minister’s visit to China in November 2018.
Li’s official visit will begin with a meeting with Plenković on
Wednesday 10 April at Banski Dvori, when the two officials will sign a number of bilateral agreements and adopt a joint communique.
The two heads of government will then open the exhibition on “Ancient China’s Scholars”, officially marking the start of the
Croatia-China Years of Culture and Tourism.
During the first day of his visit, Li will also meet with Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.
On Thursday, 11 April, Li will visit the construction site of the Pelješac Bridge, where together with Plenković he will mark the completion of the first phase of construction.
The Pelješac Bridge – currently the biggest infrastructural project in Croatia – is the most prominent symbol of Croatia and China’s cooperation.
On Thursday evening, Plenković will host the ceremonious dinner for heads of delegation in Dubrovnik, launching the 8th Summit of Heads of Government of CEEC and China.
The Summit will be an opportunity to further deepen the cooperation between Croatia, China and CEEC.
Plenković and Li will officially open the 9th Business Forum of CEEC and China on
Friday, 12 April, at the Rixos Libertas Hotel in Dubrovnik.
The Forum will see about a thousand participants, 400 of which from China, while the topics will include cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, investment, production, innovation, trade, tourism and culture.
The Forum will inaugurate the website of the 16+1 Coordination Mechanism for Small and Medium-Sized Entrepreneurships, administered by Croatia. Heads of delegation will then see an exhibition on cooperation between CEEC and China. They will also meet with businesspeople attending the B2B (business-to-business) meetings as part of the Forum.
The central event, a
plenary session of CEEC and China heads of government, will be held at the
Palace Hotel in Dubrovnik, beginning at 10:40. The adopted conclusions will be published in a document titled Dubrovnik Guidelines.
After the session, the heads of government will sign a number of treaties and agreements on cooperation with China.
Plenković, Li and the host of the next 16+1 Summit – to be determined in Dubrovnik – will then give press statements.
Programme:
Tuesday, 9 April, Zagreb:
19:35 Arrival of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Franjo Tuđman Airport
Wednesday, 10 April, Zagreb:
9:30 Arrival of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Banski Dvori
Official welcoming ceremony
Signing the Golden Book
9:45 Meeting of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, with delegations
10:30 Exchange of signed memoranda and protocols
10:40 Joint press statements by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
11:00 Meeting of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković (the Croatian Parliament)
11:20 Ceremonial opening of the China-Croatia Year of Culture and Tourism; opening of the exhibition on “Ancient China’s Scholars: Art and Life” from China’s National Museum (Klovićevi Dvori)
15:00 Meeting of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
Thursday, 11 April, Brijesta:
11:15 Arrival of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Pelješac Bridge construction site (Brijesta)
Commemorative programme
Addresses by Croatian Roads CEO Josip Škorić, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
Continuation of programme
11:50 End of programme in Brijesta
Thursday, 11 April, Dubrovnik, multilateral part of programme:
18:15 Photo op for heads of CEEC and Chinese delegations at the Old Town Gate (Ploče)
18:30 Departure for the Old Town
20:10 Linđo – After dinner for the summit participants
Friday, 12 April, Dubrovnik:
8:45 Arrival of heads of delegation at the Rixos Libertas Hotel
Photo op – individual handshakes of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and heads of delegation
9:10 Opening ceremony of CEEC and China Business Forum
9:40 End of opening ceremony
9:45 Opening of the exhibition on CEEC and China cooperation in education
10:15 Meeting with B2B participants
10:40 Start of the CEEC and China heads of government meeting at the Palace Hotelu Palac
Family photo
10:55 Plenary session
12:30 Signing ceremony of CEEC and China bilateral agreements
12:40 Joint press statements by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and prime minister of the host country of the next Summit
Announcements
