Wu highlights ties with Croatia

China's top legislator Wu Bangguo called attention to Sino-Croatian friendship and cooperation upon his arrival in Croatia's capital, Zagreb, on Thursday, kicking off an official goodwill visit to the Balkan country.

Describing Croatia as a reliable friend and partner, Wu, chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, said China is willing to push forward bilateral ties in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and reciprocity.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries 20 years ago, the development of bilateral relations has been smooth, Wu said.

He added that the Sino-Croatian relationship was elevated to a new chapter after a comprehensive cooperative partnership was established between the two countries in 2005, followed by Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Croatia in 2009, he said.

"China is willing to work with Croatia to further advance our comprehensive cooperative partnership," Wu said in a statement.

The top Chinese legislator is scheduled to hold separate meetings with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and Parliament Speaker Boris Sprem during his visit.

Croatia is the second leg of Wu's European tour, which will also take him to Luxembourg and Spain. The lawmaker has already paid a three-day visit to the Netherlands, where he held talks with Queen Beatrix, caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Dutch counterparts Fred de Graaf and Gerdi Verbeet, presidents of the First and Second Chamber of Dutch parliament.

During his meeting with Fred de Graaf and Gerdi Verbeet in The Hague on Wednesday, Wu urged the government to streamline procedures, including visa application and quality testing at customs, to facilitate bilateral exchanges.

Legislative exchange will be a priority of his visit and is an important ingredient of country-to-country relations, Wu said, adding that he believes his visit will play a significant role in promoting political trust and pragmatic cooperation between the two nations.

He also expressed hopes for potential visits between subordinate committees under the two countries' legislatures to deepen communication.

Wu called on the two legislatures to fully use their resources and act as a go-between for businesses and local governments to bring about cooperation, especially in industries such as high-end manufacturing, energy conservation, environmental protection, new energy and biological technology.

"Bilateral ties can go beyond the differences in ideology and social mechanism as long as we hold onto the principles of mutual respect and equality," he said.

During the meeting, Fred de Graaf and Gerdi Verbeet reaffirmed that bilateral relations should be based on the one-China policy. Dutch lawmakers said they appreciate China's commitment to democracy, rule of law and human rights protection and that Wu's visit has improved mutual understanding on many crucial issues.

Cross-cultural exchanges between China and the Netherlands have increased from less than 1,000 in 1972 to more than 1.3 million over the past four decades, according to statistics provided by the Chinese embassy to the Netherlands.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

zhaoyinan@chinadaily.com.cn