From February 16 to 17, 2025, at the invitation of the Slovene-Chinese Friendship Association (SCFA), Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), led a delegation to Slovenia. He met with Jo?e Novak, Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning of Slovenia, Mateja Nor?i? ?tamcar, Director-General of the Directorate for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, Miroslav Gregoric, Member of Slovenian National Assembly and Chairman of the Slovenia-China Parliamentary Friendship Group, Ivo Vajgl, President of the Association of Former Slovenian Ambassadors and former Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Ga?per?i?, former Slovenian Minister of Infrastructure, Danica Purg, President of IEDC-Bled School of Management, Slovenia, and Tomaz Amon, President of the SCFA, among other government officials, parliament members, and friendly personages. They had a full exchange of views and reached positive consensus on further deepening China-Slovenia people-to-people friendship, promoting exchanges between the legislatures, localities, think tanks and young people of the two countries, and ensuring the sound and steady growth of China-EU relations. Zhao Binghui, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of China in Slovenia, attended the relevant activities.
(Yang Wanming meets with Mateja Nor?i? ?tamcar, Director-General of the Directorate for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia.)
During the meeting, Yang Wanming said that bilateral relations have seen healthy and steady development over the past 33 years since China and Slovenia established diplomatic ties. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Slovenian President Nata?a Pirc Musar have had multiple phone calls and exchanges of letters and messages, charting the course for the future development of relations between the two countries. A good friend and partner of China in the European Union, Slovenia has actively responded to the Belt and Road Initiative, played an active role in the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) cooperation mechanism, and contributed constructively to the growth of China-EU relations. The CPAFFC attaches high importance to the development of the China-Slovenia friendship and cooperation. It stands ready to work with the Slovenian side to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, continuously deepen the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the fields of economy and trade, tourism, culture, education, as well as science and technology, and among subnational entities, think tanks and young people, deepen and expand China-Slovenia pragmatic cooperation through people-to-people friendship, and sustain the growth of the China-EU relations.
(Yang Wanming meets with Miroslav Gregoric, Member of Slovenian National Assembly and Chairman of the Slovenia-China Parliamentary Friendship Group.)
(Yang Wanming meets with Ivo Vajgl, President of the Association of Former Slovenian Ambassadors and former Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marija Adanja, former Slovenian Ambassador to China, and Roman Kirn, former Slovenian Ambassador to the United States.)
In the meeting, the Slovenian side said that Slovenia highly values developing its relationship with China and has always made the one-China policy the cornerstone of relations between the two countries. As the lead country of the China-CEEC coordination mechanisms for forestry cooperation and sports (winter sports), Slovenia will, as always, take an active part in the China-CEEC cooperation. The Slovenian side highly appreciated the positive contribution that the CPAFFC has made to the Slovenia-China friendship. They expressed their eagerness to join hands and continue to forge new milestones in subnational, sister-city, and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Moreover, they commended China's efforts to promote the peaceful settlement of international disputes and its constructive proposals to safeguard global peace and development. Confronted with a world marked by volatility and disorder, Slovenia stands ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations to jointly respond to global challenges.
Zhang Yangbin, Deputy Secretary-General of the CPAFFC, accompanied Yang during the visit.
