Beijing, China — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday, marking a significant step in strengthening ties between the two nations.
Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, emphasized the mutual respect and equality that have characterized China-Croatia relations. “Our high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has yielded fruitful results,” Wang said, highlighting the collaborative efforts in infrastructure and economic development.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Croatia. Wang urged both countries to enhance exchanges at all levels, deepen mutual understanding, and continue supporting each other. He encouraged aligning China’s Belt and Road Initiative with Croatia’s development strategies to boost cooperation in various fields.
Wang noted that cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries is a vital part of China-European Union relations. He expressed China’s willingness to strengthen collaboration based on openness, transparency, and mutual benefit. “We should enhance multilateral coordination, uphold multilateralism and free trade, and jointly address global challenges,” he added.
Radman acknowledged the progress made since the establishment of diplomatic relations over 30 years ago. “We’ve advanced cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit,” he said, affirming Croatia’s adherence to the one-China policy and recognizing Taiwan as an inalienable part of China’s territory.
He expressed Croatia’s desire to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, strengthen trade, investment, and connectivity, and welcomed more Chinese citizens to visit Croatia. “China is an indispensable economic and trade partner for Europe,” Radman stated, supporting the EU and China in resolving differences through constructive dialogue.
Radman also emphasized the importance of China-CEEC cooperation as a beneficial platform for promoting economic, trade, and investment ties. “Croatia is willing to continue actively supporting and participating in this cooperation,” he said.
Highlighting China’s key role in promoting world peace, Radman expressed willingness to strengthen multilateral cooperation with China to address global issues.
