Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) addresses a business forum between Chinese and Croatian entrepreneurs in Zagreb, Croatia, May 14, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

ZAGREB, May 14 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin Wednesday hailed the comprehensive cooperation partnership between China and Croatia saying that bilateral relations have reached their peak since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks while addressing a business forum between Chinese and Croatian entrepreneurs in Zagreb.

Jia said the two countries formed a comprehensive cooperative partnership in 2005, an important milestone in the history of bilateral ties since the two countries established their diplomatic relations in 1992.

He said China and Croatia have maintained frequent political dialogues and achieved rich results in pragmatic cooperation in sectors such as business, culture, education, science and sports. The cooperation has brought substantial benefits to the people of both countries and contributed to the peace, stability and development in the region and the world, he added.

The trade volume between the two countries amounted to 1.58 billion U.S. dollars in 2007, an increase of 69.6 percent over the previous year, said Jia.

Jia said China attaches great importance to developing relations with Croatia and always regards Croatia as an important partner in Central and Eastern Europe. He said China is ready to join hands with Croatia to promote all-round development of the partnership.

Jia arrived here Tuesday morning on a visit to Croatia. Croatiais the last leg of Jia's four-European nation trip, which has already taken him to Romania, Hungary and Slovenia.
 

Jia Qinglin (2nd R), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) attends a business forum between Chinese and Croatian entrepreneurs in Zagreb, Croatia, May 14, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

Jia Qinglin (2nd L rear), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader (3rd L rear) attended the signing ceremony of agreements between the two governments on economic and cultural cooperation in Zagreb, Croatia, May 14, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)