On June 20, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Croatian Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic in the Croatian capital of Zagreb.

During the meeting, Hu said despite the distance keeping the two countries apart, both peoples have forged profound traditional friendship. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 17 years ago, bilateral relations have achieved substantial progress thanks to the joint efforts of both sides. China respects the development path chosen by the Croatian people and understands Croatia's efforts in integrating itself into Europe. China attaches importance to ties with Croatia and will continue to consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries, expand friendly exchanges and push forward bilateral comprehensive partnership of cooperation.

The National People's Congress (NPC) of China and the Croatian parliament have maintained frequent exchanges and carried out robust cooperation over the past years, Hu said. Both sides have established bilateral friendship groups, foreign affairs committees and other special committees to facilitate regular contacts. The legislative bodies of the two countries have played an important role in promoting understanding and friendship between peoples of the two nations and improving the China-Croatia relations. Hu expressed his hope that the NPC and the Croatian parliament could continue their contact and exchanges at various levels and in diversified forms. He said the two legislatures should also share experience on improving democracy and legal system, and strengthen coordination on multilateral occasions such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The exchanges and cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries will surely play an even greater role in promoting bilateral ties, especially the trade cooperation, he added.

Bebic fully agreed with Hu's views on the development of bilateral ties. Hu's historic visit provided a new impetus for the development of the bilateral ties, said Bebic, who also congratulated China on the 60th anniversary of its founding and the great achievement it has made in economic and social development. These accomplishments have not only benefited the Chinese people, but also made an important contribution to the world, he said. He urged both sides to create a better future for bilateral ties on the existing basis. He also expressed the hope that the two sides could strengthen cooperation in such fields as infrastructure construction, tourism, ship building, as well as enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples. Bebic said that the Croatian parliament is willing to intensify contacts and coordination between the two legislatures and promote the development of the bilateral ties.

Earlier in the day, Hu also met with the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Croatia and representatives from Chinese-funded institutions, Chinese students and overseas Chinese in Croatia.

Ling Jihua, Wang Huning and Dai Bingguo attended the above activities.