ZAGREB, June 26 -- China's Ministry of Education and the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Youth signed the 2025-2029 education cooperation program here Wednesday to further promote bilateral education cooperation.

According to the program, the two sides will increase cooperation in such fields as higher education research, basic and vocational education, and expand multilateral cooperation within international organizations and other institutions.

The new education cooperation program has been a continuation and expansion of the 2018-2022 education cooperation program signed by the two sides years ago.

At the signing ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Croatia Qi Qianjin said that the renewal of the two countries' education cooperation program will further promote the two countries' all-round cooperation in the field of education.

Since the establishment of a comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Croatia 20 years ago, bilateral cooperation in various fields has continued to increase, Qi said, adding that as the world's scientific and technological innovation is developing rapidly, it is particularly important to strengthen educational cooperation between the two sides.

Radovan Fuchs, minister of Science, Education and Youth of Croatia, praised the signing of the new education cooperation program, highlighting its expansion into basic and vocational education cooperation, and expressed confidence that the new program will lead to results in bilateral education cooperation.