The Rector of the University of Dubrovnik, Professor Nebojša Stojčić, PhD, together with Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Blaž Pezo and his associates, Deputy Prefect Joško Cebalo and Assistant head of Office for International cooperation Luka Vidak, met with a delegation from China’s Sichuan Province, led by Zhang Tao, Director general of the Sichuan Provincial Foreign affairs office.
The meeting follows contacts established during the Conference of local leaders of China and Central and Eastern European countries, where a delegation from Dubrovnik-Neretva County held a bilateral meeting with representatives of Sichuan Province. At that time, potential areas of cooperation identified included green transition, education, agritourism and tourism, with particular emphasis on establishing a direct air connection between Dubrovnik and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.
Sichuan is one of China’s most populous and economically significant provinces, with over 83 million inhabitants. Its capital, Chengdu, is one of China’s most important transport and economic hubs. The possibility of improving air connectivity between the two regions was one of the key topics of the discussion. Prefect Blaž Pezo emphasized that direct air connectivity is important not only for tourism, but also for the development of economic, educational and other forms of cooperation.
The participants agreed that despite the geographical distance, the two regions share numerous common interests, particularly in tourism and agriculture. Representatives of Sichuan expressed interest in developing institutional ties and exchanging visits at the administrative level, with the possibility of including Dubrovnik-Neretva County in the broader network of international partnerships that the Chinese province is developing. The discussion also covered strengthening economic contacts and opportunities for attracting investments, particularly in the fields of maritime affairs and shipbuilding.
Special attention was devoted to cooperation in education and science. University of Dubrovnik Rector Nebojša Stojčić presented the University’s existing international activities and highlighted that cooperation with several Chinese universities has already been established, with interest in further expanding this collaboration to institutions in Sichuan.
‘At the University of Dubrovnik, we already have experience cooperating with Chinese universities, including programs in tourism, economics, maritime studies, biology and other fields. We organize Chinese language courses, host Chinese students, and facilitate student exchanges through international programs. We see additional potential for developing joint projects with universities in Sichuan’, emphasized Stojčić.
Representatives of Sichuan highlighted the possibility of cooperation with their institutions and faculties, and discussions also covered the development of student exchanges and joint educational programs. Cooperation in tourism was also recognized as one of the key areas of future partnership.
