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Chinese, Serbian foreign ministers discuss expanding cooperation in Guizhou meeting
Updated 15:15, 30-May-2021
CGTN
02:42

Calling Serbia China's "iron-clad" friend in Europe, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday urged to push forward major cooperation between the two countries during his meeting with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic in Guiyang, capital city of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

In recent years, heads of state of the two countries have met many times, personally paid attention to and pushed forward major cooperation between the two countries, and jointly led the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership to an unprecedented high level, Wang said.

China is willing to work with Serbia to firmly safeguard China-Serbia friendship, expand practical cooperation, and jointly push bilateral relations to a new level, Wang noted.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st R) talks with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic (L) in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, southwest China, May 29, 2021. /Chinese Foreign Ministry

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st R) talks with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic (L) in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, southwest China, May 29, 2021. /Chinese Foreign Ministry

Wang said trade between China and Serbia witnessed "drastic increase" despite hardships brought by COVID-19, which showed "great tenacity and potential." He said China is willing to deepen cooperation in fields including technological innovation, artificial intelligence, digital economy as well as people-to-people exchanges.

China will also fulfill its promise of making COVID-19 vaccine a global public good, Wang stressed.

For his part, Selakovic said the Serbian people extend warm congratulations to the Chinese people on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and believe that the CPC will lead the Chinese people to create new glories.

The Serbian official also thanked China for providing medical supplies including vaccines. "We will be forever grateful," Selakovic said, calling for doubling down on cooperation in vaccine production.

Selakovic said Serbia proposes enhancing bilateral practical cooperation and expresses willingness to work with China to add new impetus to the strategic partnership.

Moreover, a six-point consensus was agreed upon during the talk. It includes continuing to render support on issues concerning each other's core interests and jointly constructing the Belt and Road Initiative.

China is a friend of European countries, not opponent: Wang 

In a press conference after their meeting, Wang stressed that the friendship between China and European countries like Serbia is a platform for people to communicate, talk and work together.

China and Europe are friends to each other, rather than opponents, Wang pointed out.

The China-Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) cooperation mechanism integrates bilateral cooperation with regional cooperation, he said, emphasizing the practical, transparent and voluntary nature of the mechanism.  

In 2020, the total trade volume between China and CEEC hit $103.45 billion.

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