The Chinese government has agreed to recognize the independence of the Republic of Montenegro as of Wednesday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing made the position clear in remarks contained in a letter of reply on Wednesday to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Montenegro Miodrag Vlahovic.

China is ready to build friendly and cooperative relations with Montenegro on the basis of the country's five principles of peaceful coexistence, Li said.

Montenegro gained independence by way of a referendum held on May 24.

The European Union formally recognized Montenegro's independence Monday and urged the tiny Balkan country to forge relations with Serbia.

Croatia, Sweden, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Iceland, Switzerland and Russia have recognized the Balkan state.

Montenegro's population of 620,000 is predominantly made up of Christian Orthodox Slavs. Around 15 percent are Slavic Muslims and Ethnic Albanians account for 7 percent.

The country emerged as an independent state in 1878 when it became a monarchy. After World War I in 1918 it merged with Serbia and a number of Slav-populated parts of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire to form what later became Yugoslavia. It broke up along ethnic lines in the 1990s.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2006)