CROATIAN CULTURE MINISTER RETURNS FROM VISIT TO CHINA

( Editorial: --> 7777 ) ZAGREB, March 6 (Hina) - Croatian Culture Minister Bozo Biskupic and his associates returned from an official ten-day visit to China on Friday. During the visit, Biskupic signed a three-year agreement on cultural, educational and scientific cooperation with China. The Culture Minister told reporters that he was welcomed warmly in all Chinese towns and that his visit was very successful. Biskupic held talks with the Chinese Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister whom he handed a letter by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman for the Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Croatia would present itself in China with a big exhibition entitled "A Thousand Years of Croatian Sculpture", which, in a way, would be a counterpart to "The Silk Road", a big Chinese exhibition which was opened in September 1996 in the museum 'Mimara'. The Beijing opera would visit Croatia during its tour of Europe, Biskupic said. The renown Zagreb Quartet would visit China this year, he added. The talks held with Chinese officials also included cooperation in the area of film, Biskupic said, adding that some Chinese film projects would be shown in Croatia. Regarding the publishing sector, Biskupic said that it was agreed that work on the making of a Croatian-Chinese and Chinese-Croatian dictionary would begin. The project would be offered to a Croatian publisher, he said, adding he hoped work on the dictionary would begin this year. Certain translations of Croatian writers, which received support by the Chinese Culture Ministry and would be supported by the Croatian Culture Ministry, were agreed upon as well, Biskupic said. (hina) jn rm /mb 062154 MET mar 98