PTUJ, Slovenia -- A senior official of Slovenian government said on Tuesday that Slovenia has attached great importance to communication with China and is looking forward to promote business between the two countries.

Stefan Celan, mayor of Ptuj, told Xinhua that communication with China is very important. "We must find investors from China," he said, adding that Slovenia's commercial port of Koper is a very good connection between Europe and China.

Celan, who visited Beijing in 2008, said that while Ptuj has some small companies doing business in China, more and more Chinese are beginning to get involved in societies in Ptuj.

"Twenty years ago, we did not have any Chinese in Ptuj. Today, more than 600 Chinese people are living in here," the mayor said.

Ptuj, about 140 kilometers northeast of the capital of Ljubljana, is the oldest city in Slovenia. Apart from its many middle-age constructions, the city is famous for its wine-making.

China has been in good relations with Slovenia after the latter won independence in 1991.

In his visit to Slovenia in April 2011, Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told Slovenian leaders that the Chinese government encourages prominent enterprises to invest in Slovenia and cooperate with the country in the areas such as railway, port and clean energy.

China also welcomes more Slovenian companies to explore Chinese market and increase export to China, to promote balanced development of bilateral trade, Li said.