Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties between China and Croatia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi marked the occasion by exchanging congratulatory messages with their respective Croatian counterparts.
President Xi said in his message that China and Croatia boast a traditional friendship, along with 25 years of sound and stable bilateral relations. The two countries enjoy ever-deepening exchanges in various areas, he noted.
"I attach great importance to the development of China-Croatia relations and am willing to work with you to take the anniversary as a new starting point to advance our comprehensive cooperative partnership so as to better benefit the two countries and two peoples," Xi said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony for visiting Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic outside the Great Hall of the People on October 14, 2015. /Xinhua Photo
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said the quarter-century of ties will unlock new momentum for bilateral relations. Croatia stands ready to work with China to enrich bilateral practical cooperation so as to lift their comprehensive cooperative partnership to a higher level, she said.
In his message, Premier Li said China-Croatia relations have greatly improved over the last 25 years, evidenced by frequent high-level exchanges and deepened political mutual trust. China is willing to work with Croatia to give full play to their respective advantages and bring about more results in their comprehensive cooperative partnership, he added.
Li’s counterpart Andrej Plenkovic said in his message that Croatia and China have witnessed a sound development of bilateral ties over the past quarter century. The Croatian government will continue to stick to the one-China policy and cement its ties with China in an all-round way, said Plenkovic.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi also exchanged message with his Croatian counterpart Davor Ivo Stier. Wang said that the Chinese Foreign Ministry is willing to work with the Croatian side to positively implement consensus reached between both countries’ leaders and promote bilateral high-level contacts, and political trust.
Stier said the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs admires obvious achievements by the Chinese side in building the Belt and Road and believes the Belt and Road Forum is conducive to reaching a new consensus on practical cooperation. Croatia is ready to play a more positive role in cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries.
(With inputs from Xinhua)
