Chinese President Xi Jinping met visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Saturday, as the Chinese capital city raised the curtain on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. 

World leaders and heads of international organizations gathered in Beijing for the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday evening.

Xi hailed the "iron-clad friendship" and the high-level mutual political trust between China and Serbia, saying bilateral ties have endured the test of time and they are the model of international relations.

China-Serbia cooperation has grown remarkably, Xi noted, leading to many successful infrastructure and energy projects, and the two countries have supported each other since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Chinese president said the two countries should develop relations in terms of a strategic and long-term perspective and firmly support each other's core interests.

Both countries should advance high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and translate China-Serbia traditional friendship into more tangible outcomes of cooperation that will better benefit the two peoples, he continued.

China is willing to provide more support to help Serbia fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and to strengthen cooperation in vaccine joint production and economic recovery, Xi said.

Vucic hailed the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and expressed his thanks to the Chinese government and people for the warm hospitality.

He said Serbia is China's true friend, and his country respects China and admires China's strong leadership. The friendship between the two countries will not be altered by any pressure or difficulty, he added. 

Serbia always stands firmly with the Chinese people on issues concerning China's core interests, such as Xinjiang and the Taiwan region, he said. And his government is ready to strengthen cooperation ranging from trade and investment to people and cultural exchanges in the post-COVID-19 era.