ZAGREB - China and Croatia on Wednesday pledged to make concerted efforts to further consolidate their traditional friendship and boost bilateral win-win cooperation in various fields.

In a joint statement issued during Premier Li Keqiang's official visit to the European country, the two sides agreed to expand collaboration within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Li is the first Chinese premier to visit Croatia since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1992. He held talks with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and met with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic.

DEEPENING FRIENDSHIP

Over the past 27 years, China and Croatia have treated each other with respect and as equals, Li said in a signed article published prior to his visit, during which he would also attend the eighth leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs).

The political trust and friendship between the two countries have deepened, bilateral cooperation has yielded fruitful outcomes, and economic and trade ties have grown from strength to strength, added the premier.

During his talks with Plenkovic, Li said China stands ready to work with Croatia to carry on their friendship, explore new dimensions in bilateral relations, and lift mutually beneficial cooperation to a new level.

In her meeting with Li, Grabar-Kitarovic noted that Croatia and China share a profound traditional friendship and amicable bilateral relations, and have broad prospects for cooperation in areas including economy and trade, investment and culture.

Li's visit, she added, has achieved fruitful results and injected new impetus into the development of China-Croatia relations.

In the eyes of Jandrokovic, Li's visit is a trip of friendship and cooperation, and China is Croatia's great partner as well as a friend during the country's development.

China, Li told the speaker, would like to "continuously enlarge the scale of bilateral trade, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, strengthen mutual learning in areas such as sports, and deepen friendship between the two peoples."