Business leader says Slovenia can benefit from better relations with China

A visitor takes photos of a Chinese canopy bed during the exhibition of Ivan Skusek's collection at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum in Ljubljana, Slovenia, May 29, 2024. TO GO WITH "Feature: Slovenian collector's Chinese museum dream fulfilled as artifacts debut" (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

Slovenia is an important exporter of car parts and therefore the country should increase cooperation with China in this field, said Vavpotic.

LJUBLJANA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia and Europe would benefit from improved relations with China, Ziga Vavpotic, head of the Slovenian-Chinese Business Council, told Xinhua in an interview.

Noting that China's economy had massively developed over the past 40 years, he said China is now playing an important geostrategic role in the world, particularly in the electric cars and photovoltaics sectors.

Slovenia is an important exporter of car parts and therefore the country should increase cooperation with China in this field, said Vavpotic, adding that any country that underestimates China is hurting its own future.

"I believe that we should not wish to have a bipolar world. The Cold War times are over. Slovenia should behave as a sovereign state that should cooperate with everyone in the world and should clearly say that it does not want to position itself on any side," Vavpotic said.

This photo taken on April 26, 2024 shows BMW electric vehicles displayed at the signing ceremony for deepening strategic cooperation between BMW and Shenyang, in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

He stressed that all countries need to work together, in cooperation and harmony, to address global challenges such as climate change, migration, and food safety. "If the world is polarized, these problems will escalate and we will need more energy to face them."

The business leader stressed that it would be beneficial to Europe to have good relations with China, as well as with the United States. He encouraged European companies not to be nervous about China's development, noting that few European companies complained about the growth of the U.S. economy.

Vavpotic believes that nations should seek to learn from each other's differences in the spirit of economic and cultural cooperation. Conflicts between nations usually "stem from the fact that we do not have enough knowledge about others," he said.

A contestant performs during the 2024 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

"Bipolarity is not good," Vavpotic said, urging global leaders to sit down and talk and determine clear rules that would be valid for everyone.

Last month, a Slovenian business delegation led by Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon held a high-profile five-day visit to China to promote business ties between the two nations. Vavpotic was among that delegation.

The Slovenian-Chinese Business Council was founded in 2020 under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS). The CCIS is the largest independent, voluntary, non-profit association of companies in Slovenia. It was founded in 1851 and now boasts more than 5,200 member companies of all sizes and backgrounds.