Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday hailed the Sino-Serbian friendship in Belgrade, saying maintaining it is “to stand on the right side of history.”

Wang made the remarks after meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

During the meeting, Vucic described China as “the most trusted, valuable and greatest friend,” praised the two countries’ strong political confidence and pledged to significantly increase economic and commercial exchanges.

He thanked the Chinese side for firmly supporting Serbia to protect its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for its assistance to Serbia in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of its economy and the improvement of the well-being of the population.

Vucic said the Serbian side will relentlessly pursue a friendly policy towards China, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and jointly implement major Belt and Road projects so that bilateral relations can reach new heights.

For his part, Wang said that the Chinese and Serbian people attach great importance to friendship and upholding justice, and that they challenge power politics and oppose harassment.

Noting that Sino-Serbian relations enjoy a strong internal driving force and broad prospects, Wang said that for a long time, the two brotherly countries supported and helped each other, jointly protecting their respective legitimate rights and interests and safeguarding the international equity and justice.

Serbian FM expresses support for one-China principle

Wang also met with Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic on Thursday, where he highly appreciated the bilateral friendship and pledged to strengthen bilateral ties.

The traditional Sino-Serbian friendship has stood the test of the changes in the world and has emerged from difficult times with blood and fire with new dynamism and vitality, Wang said, adding that China regards Serbia as its most reliable partner and firmly supports Serbia in accelerating its national development and rejuvenation.

Selakovic reiterated Serbia’s strong adherence to the one-China principle and its support for China’s positions on issues such as those related to Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.

He added that the pandemic has not blocked trade and cooperation between Serbia and China, whose joint containment efforts have only brought the two peoples even closer.

“Sino-Serbian relations are a model of China-CEEC cooperation”

During his meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic on Wednesday, Wang said that Sino-Serbian relations have become a benchmark for mutually beneficial cooperation and a model for Belt and Road cooperation as well as cooperation between the China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC).

Both sides are expected to advance key Belt and Road projects and expand cooperation in the areas of green economy, clean energy, energy efficiency, Internet Plus, cross-border e-commerce, big data, cloud computing, smart cities and 5G to provide momentum for sustainable development, he said.

Brnabic said Serbia is ready to work with China to implement key Belt and Road projects, strengthen cooperation in infrastructure, digital economy, artificial intelligence and biotechnology to push relations bilateral to a new level, she said.

China and Serbia step up legislative cooperation

In an interview with Serbian National Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic on Wednesday, Wang stressed the importance of legislative cooperation in Sino-Serbian bilateral relations, saying China is ready to strengthen cooperation between the two states. legislative bodies of the two countries.

He said China and Serbia should continue to stand firmly together to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, uphold basic standards governing international relations, and promote international fairness and justice.

Dacic said the Serbian people are the Chinese people’s most sincere friend, and Serbia is firmly committed to developing friendly cooperation with China and is ready to conduct high-level visits and governance exchanges between legislatures. from both countries.

Wang’s visit to Serbia came after his trip to Greece and was the second stop on his trip to Europe, which also includes Albania and Italy.

Greece, Serbia and Albania are part of the 17 + 1 mechanism, which unites China and 17 CEEC countries. And Italy took part in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Announcing the trip, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said it demonstrates China’s willingness to consolidate bilateral friendship, deepen China-CEEC cooperation and promote healthy development. and regular relations between China and the European side.

“Greece, Serbia, Albania and Italy are important cooperation partners of China in Europe. China and these four countries maintain a deep traditional friendship, maintain close cooperation at all levels and share fruitful results in BRI cooperation, “he said.

(Cover: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (right) meets with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Belgrade, Serbia, October 28, 2021. / Chinese Foreign Ministry)