The premiers of China and Croatia signed a joint statement on Thursday, promising to establish a "comprehensive cooperative partnership."

"The announcement of establishing the comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Croatia means that bilateral relations have entered a new stage," Premier Wen Jiabao told his Croatian counterpart Ivo Sanader who is in China on a five-day official visit.

China and Croatia established diplomatic ties 13 years ago.

"There are no unsolved problems between us and our cooperation in economy, culture, science and technology has achieved great progress," Wen said in an hour-long talk with Sanader.

He said he hopes the two countries can continue to improve high-level exchanges and promote non-official relations between their respective private sectors, creating favorable conditions for small and medium-sized companies of the two sides for further economic and trade cooperation.

The Chinese premier also expressed appreciation for Croatia's consistent adherence to the one-China policy and its opposition to "Taiwan independence."

Describing China as a "country with important influence in the world," Sanader said Croatia values its relations with China.

He said the joint statement that he signed with Wen is of "great significance."

"Croatia will make efforts to boost bilateral political, economic, scientific, cultural and non-official exchanges between our two countries."

Sanader arrived on Thursday morning with a delegation of Croatian businessmen from the oil, steel, banking and food sectors.

He will also visit Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province and Shanghai.

This is Sanader's first trip to China since he assumed the office of prime minister in December 2003. 

(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2005)