Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman met on Friday, 16 October 2026, at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs with Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, who is on an official visit to Croatia.
The meeting reaffirmed the friendly relations between Croatia and China, which will mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2027. The discussions focused on further strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in the fields of economy, trade, tourism, science and education, as well as current international and regional issues.
Particular attention was paid to economic cooperation and opportunities to increase Croatian exports to the Chinese market. Grlić Radman welcomed the establishment of direct air links between Croatia and China and highlighted the need to further strengthen ties between the business communities of the two countries. The Pelješac Bridge, built by the Chinese company CRBC, was highlighted as a prominent example of successful Croatian-Chinese cooperation. In this context, the minister pointed to opportunities to strengthen transport and economic connectivity between Europe and Asia, particularly via the Adriatic Sea and the Port of Rijeka, and underlined Croatia’s openness to cooperation with Chinese investors in transport and logistics.
The two ministers also discussed EU-China relations, emphasising the need to maintain dialogue, ensure a level playing field and respect international law. Grlić Radman advocated stable, constructive and mutually beneficial relations between the EU and China, as well as the resolution of outstanding trade issues. He also highlighted the shared responsibility of the EU and China to uphold the rules-based international order and address global challenges.
Turning to international issues, Grlić Radman stressed the need to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and called on China to use its influence to bring the aggression to an end. He emphasised that the stability of the Western Balkans remains one of Croatia’s key foreign policy priorities and reaffirmed Croatia’s support for the region’s European perspective, based on meeting the accession criteria and individual merit. With regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina, he noted that the country’s stability, the equality of its three constituent peoples and electoral reform are of particular importance to Croatia.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to exchange views on the situation in the Middle East and other global security challenges. Grlić Radman called for de-escalation and stressed that dialogue and diplomacy are key instruments for preserving international peace and stability.
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