China, Serbia reaffirm close ties during Xi Jinping's visit to Belgrade

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the Serbian president on Wednesday, with both sides expressing optimism that the visit will further strengthen the “ironclad” friendly relations between China and the Balkan country.

Xi arrived in Serbia on Tuesday evening and received a warm welcome from France, where he made a high-stakes state visit dominated by trade disputes and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Thousands of people chanting “China-Serbia” and waving flags were bussed from across Serbia to attend a welcoming ceremony for Xi on Wednesday in front of the Palace of Serbia, in the new Belgrade district where the talks.

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Populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic addressed the crowd from a balcony, calling Xi an “ironclad” friend. He said his visit to Serbia is “historic” as it paves the way for even closer ties.

“We are making history today, even if it doesn't seem like it to many (people),” Vucic said. “We thank President Xi. He has not been to Europe for five years and he has chosen our little Serbia again.”

At the start of the official meeting on Wednesday, Xi said that “we are first-hand witnesses that the Serbian people regard the Chinese people as their best, all-weather friend.”

“This is a truly bilateral and true friendship… I sincerely welcome this and it really made an extremely deep impression on me,” Xi said, according to state television RTS.

Xi will visit Hungary later on Wednesday. Like Serbia, Hungary is considered one of China's friendliest partners in Europe.

Signs of pro-Chinese sentiments were clearly visible throughout the Serbian capital. A huge Chinese flag was placed on a skyscraper along a road leading into the city from the airport. Smaller Chinese and Serbian flags were visible in the city center and along a highway.

China has invested billions of dollars in Serbia in the form of investments and loans, particularly in the mining and infrastructure sectors. The two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2016 and a free trade agreement last year.

Serbia, a landlocked country in the heart of the Balkans, is a key country in China's Belt and Road initiative, intended to increase Beijing's influence in Europe through economic investment. Critics say it could serve as a Chinese Trojan horse and gateway to Europe.

Xi also arrived in Serbia on a symbolic date, the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by American planes during the NATO air war over Kosovo, during which three Chinese citizens were You are.

This incident helped forge close political ties between China and Serbia.

Chinese companies operate Serbia's largest copper mine and steel mill, and are also building numerous roads and highways across the country, as well as a railway to Hungary, its northern neighbor.

“Our bilateral relationship has stood the test of the changing international environment and become a fine example of state-to-state relations,” Xi said in a statement released by China's Foreign Ministry. .

“At a historic new starting point, China will work with Serbia to stick to the original aspiration and move forward together to open up a new prospect of cooperation between China and Serbia,” Xi added. . “I am confident that this visit will be fruitful and open a new chapter in China-Serbia relations.”

In 2014, Hungary and Serbia struck a deal with Beijing to upgrade the railway between their capitals Budapest and Belgrade, as part of a Belt and Road plan to connect the port of Piraeus, in Greece, under Chinese control, in the south, a point of entry. for Chinese products to Central and Eastern Europe.

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The more than $2 billion project is expected to be completed in 2026, after numerous delays.

In 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Serbia received a semi-secret delivery of a sophisticated Chinese anti-aircraft system flown on US Army Y-20 transport planes. Chinese air.

The delivery of weapons to the territory of at least two NATO member states, Turkey and Bulgaria, was seen by experts as a demonstration of China's growing global reach.