President Xi says China, Serbia should carry forward ironclad friendship

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China and Serbia should carry forward the ironclad friendship, boost mutually beneficial cooperation and advance the high-quality building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the sidelines of the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.

China is willing to deepen strategic communication with Serbia, enhance mutual support, strengthen trade and investment cooperation, continue supporting the construction and operation of relevant projects, fully leverage their demonstration effect, and achieve more mutually beneficial outcomes, said Xi.

Eighty years ago, the Chinese and Serbian peoples made significant contributions to the victories in the Asian and European theaters during the anti-fascist war, he said.

China stands ready to work with Serbia and all other countries in the world to unite in addressing challenges, jointly safeguard world peace and international fairness and justice, preserve the achievements of economic globalization, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi added.

For his part, Vucic said China is Serbia's most precious friend, consistently offering selfless support and assistance to help Serbia develop its economy and improve the well-being of its people.

Serbia firmly adheres to the one-China principle and always recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of China's territory, he said.

Serbia is committed to expanding economic and trade ties with China, welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Serbia, and will provide a favorable business environment, said Vucic.

Serbia hopes China will actively participate in the 2027 Belgrade Specialized Expo, he said.

Serbia appreciates China's steadfast support for multilateralism, noting that China's vision and actions have strengthened the international community's courage and confidence in safeguarding common interests, he added. Serbia stands ready to work with China in jointly addressing the challenges posed by unilateralism and protectionism, he said.

(With input from Xinhua)