Počivalšek said it was crucial that Slovenia got the chance to participate in one of the biggest global projects of the century.

The Slovenian visit aims to boost economic cooperation between China and Slovenia and strengthen Slovenia's role in the Belt and Road initiative.

The Belt and Road initiative is a development strategy proposed by China that consists of two main components; the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road.

The Beijing forum featured more than 1,200 participants, including heads of governments, ministers, officials, experts and business executives, from 110 countries and more than 60 international organisations.

On the sidelines of the forum, Počivalšek took part in a meeting on trade, while he met the head of the China National Sports Group Zhang Lizeng before the forum.

During the meeting, a contract on exclusive representation in China was signed by the engineering company Duol, which specialises in prefabricated domes for sports.

A preliminary contract on the construction of temporary infrastructure for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing was also signed. The value of orders in the coming five years is assessed at EUR 25m.

Počivalšek also signed a memorandum of understanding in tourism with the head of tourism association, Duan Qiang, the Economy Ministry said in a press release.