China and Serbia have taken a significant step forward in their bilateral relations, with Presidents Xi Jinping and Aleksandar Vučić agreeing to build a community with a shared future.
During a meeting on Wednesday in Serbia, President Xi Jinping and President Aleksandar Vučić announced the upgrade of their relationship from a comprehensive strategic partnership, established eight years ago, to a community with a shared future. This development makes Serbia the first European country to establish such a relationship with China.
President Xi noted that this move fully demonstrates the strategic, special, and high-level nature of the bilateral relationship. The ironclad friendship between China and Serbia, characterized by profound historical roots, solid political foundation, extensive common interests, and strong popular support, has been recognized by both nations.
“Serbia is proud of having the highest level of relations with China,” said Maja Stefanovic, Serbia’s ambassador to China. She emphasized that President Xi’s state visit is considered Serbia’s most important foreign diplomatic event this year.
The deepening cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been a cornerstone of the enhanced ties. “In the past eight years, the China and Serbia relationship has developed exponentially, setting an example for cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries under the BRI,” stated Li Ming, China’s ambassador to Serbia. He added that this partnership has significantly contributed to building a community with a shared future.
Projects under the BRI have significantly improved local livelihoods, boosting employment, trade, and investment, and energizing Serbia’s development. The Hungary-Serbia railway, for instance, is a flagship project under Beijing-Belgrade BRI cooperation.
“This railway is a very important connection between the south and north of Europe,” said Ivona Ladjevac, Deputy Director of the Serbia Institute of International Politics and Economics, in an interview. “It can be used by European countries and others to transport their goods and to communicate with Asian countries.”
Chen Bo, former Chinese ambassador to Serbia and President of the China Institute of International Studies, highlighted the impact of the railway. “So far, 8 million people have taken this high-speed railway. I think the greatest convenience that brings to Serbia is the possibility of integrated development between the two largest cities,” he said.
The upgrade in China-Serbia relations is expected to further enhance cooperation across various sectors, benefiting both countries and contributing to regional stability and development.
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Upgrade in China-Serbia ties highly expected and warmly welcomed
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