Since its inauguration in July 2022, the Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge in Croatia has significantly boosted local businesses, creating new economic opportunities and facilitating smoother transportation on the Adriatic coast.
The 2.4-kilometer-long bridge connects Croatia’s mainland with the Peljesac Peninsula on the country’s southern Adriatic coast and was built by a consortium of Chinese enterprises led by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).
Local resident Josipa Borovic worked for four years on the Peljesac Bridge project. She said: “It was an honor and a pleasure for me to work at the Peljesac Bridge project,” adding that it had left her with “unforgettable memories.”
“From the very beginning, it was a (…) wonderful environment, and it was actually easy to work with them. We clicked very quickly, and regardless of the language and cultural barrier, we cooperated perfectly,” said Borovic, who later transferred to the administrative department until the end of the project in July 2022.
According to CRBC Manager Lu Shengwei, more than 250 local people were employed by the Peljesac Bridge project, along with 18 design consulting companies, 45 construction companies from the European Union (EU), and 112 equipment and material suppliers from Croatia, Germany, Poland, and other countries. In the two years since its inauguration, nearly 5 million vehicles have already crossed the bridge.
The Peljesac Bridge, a major infrastructure project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has been an example of mutually beneficial cooperation between China, Croatia, and the EU, according to Qi Qianjin, Chinese ambassador to Croatia.
https://english.news.cn/20240728/9be7adc7ffcb40a1aa043b3527466655/c.html