Bernardic underlined the importance of Zagreb's cooperation with Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, and recalled the very good relations between Croatia and China, the friendship between Zagreb and Shanghai, and the fact that the Confucius Institute was opened at the University of Zagreb on the 20th anniversary of Croatian-Chinese diplomatic relations.
The Chinese delegation praised Zagreb's beauty and suggested that Zagreb and Guangzhou become sister cities to intensify cooperation in the economy, tourism, and the protection of the environment and cultural assets.