Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar on Saturday praised China, as a responsible major country, for adhering to multilateralism and setting an example for the international community.

Musar made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in Ljubljana.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Slovenia and China over 30 years ago, relations between the two countries have achieved important results, Musar said.

She noted that Slovenia's diplomacy seeks partners rather than creating confrontation, adding that the country is ready to strengthen cooperation with China, safeguarding the international system with the United Nations (UN), uphold openness and free trade, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change.

Wang said that Slovenia practices "small country, big diplomacy" with a global vision and regards China as a partner rather than a rival, which serves the interests of all sides.

He added that China-Slovenia relations transcend differences in social systems and serve as a model of mutual respect and win-win cooperation among countries of different national conditions and sizes.

Noting that the China-proposed Global Governance Initiative aims to reform and improve the global governance system, Wang said China will continue to stand by the majority of countries, oppose the world's return to "law of the jungle," and safeguard international fairness and justice.

He also expressed China's readiness to enhance multilateral collaboration with Slovenia, uphold the basic norms governing international relations, promote the political settlement of hotspot issues and build a more just and equitable global governance system.

Wang called on Slovenia to continue playing a constructive role in advancing China-Europe relations and cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries.

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob also met with Wang on Saturday. Wang said China attaches great importance to developing relations with Slovenia and appreciates the latter's friendly policy towards China.

Echoing Wang, Golob said that Slovenia and China have long maintained good cooperative relations, which serve the interests of both sides.

He reaffirmed Slovenia's firm adherence to the one-China policy and looks forward to sharing the opportunities brought by China's rapid development, particularly by deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as energy, automobiles and pharmaceuticals, welcoming more Chinese enterprises to invest in the country.

Praising China's diplomacy for handling complex issues with a long-term perspective, patience, and wisdom, Golob said Slovenia supports multilateralism, upholds the role of the UN and opposes double standards. He pledged to strengthen coordination with China in the UN Security Council and on other multilateral arenas, adding that Slovenia expects China to play a greater role in promoting the peaceful settlement of hotspot issues.

Wang said as a responsible major country and a member of the UN Security Council, China is ready to work with Slovenia to uphold multilateralism, safeguard the UN Charter, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and jointly bring more certainty to a world fraught facing instability.

He said China remains committed to high-level opening-up and stands ready to work with Slovenia to unlock cooperation potential and achieve win-win results. Both sides, Wang said, should encourage two-way investment and provide enterprises with a fair, friendly, first-class, and predictable business environment.

The top Chinese diplomat also met with his Slovenian counterpart, Tanja Fajon on the same day. The two foreign ministers have pledged to strengthen political ties and enhance economic cooperation during their talks.

Wang said that the bilateral relationship, built on equality, sincerity, trust and win-win cooperation despite their social and institutional differences, is particularly valuable amid the current complex and turbulent international landscape.

He called on both sides to uphold the original aspiration, deepen communication and trust, bolster cooperation and continuously enrich the strategic connotation of the China-Slovenia partnership.

Wang added that China is ready to enhance exchanges at all levels, expand cooperation in new areas such as high-end manufacturing, scientific and technological innovation, health and medicine, green energy and artificial intelligence, and provide a fair and open business environment for enterprises from both countries.

Fajon said China is an important partner of Slovenia and the EU. She hailed the friendship, mutual trust, and growing bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.

Slovenia values its friendship with China and firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and looks forward to becoming a gateway for Chinese enterprises to enter Europe. Fajon said the two sides should expand two-way investment and broaden cooperation in new energy and other fields.

She added that it is vital for the EU and China to maintain positive and constructive dialogue and cooperation, and emphasized that Slovenia supports the stable development of EU-China relations.

(With input from Xinhua)