Sprem and Wu unveiled a plaque with the name of the institution in the presence of a large Chinese delegation, senior Croatian officials and the head of the University of Zagreb.
The opening of the Confucius Institute, which will begin working in the autumn with the beginning of the new academic year, also marked the 20th anniversary of Croatian-Chinese diplomatic relations. The second global economic power has recently shown increased willingness to directly invest in Croatia.
Sprem and Wu did not give statements to the press, but University of Zagreb rector Aleksa Bjelis said the University was honoured by the inauguration of the Confucius Institute, which was launched in a short time and with the assistance of Chinese colleagues.
"By following Confucius's thoughts, we wish to encourage young people with various interests, people who will contribute in the coming decades to the cultural, economic and all-round cooperation between our countries," said Bjelis.
The strategic partners of the University of Zagreb in this project are the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade, Hanban - the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Zagreb.
The large delegation accompanying Wu was delighted by the sinology students of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Music Academy students who performed several Chinese folk songs wearing traditional Chinese costumes.
Apart from culture, Zagreb's Confucius Institute attaches equal attention to the business segment, which is the case with only four such institutes in Europe - in London, Athens, Copenhagen and Ljubljana. There are 350 Confucius institutes around the world.
Wu, who is on an official visit to Croatia, yesterday held talks with Sprem and Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, while today he is scheduled to meet with President Ivo Josipovic.