Chinese Premier Li Qiang stated on Tuesday that China is prepared to strengthen and deepen cooperation with Serbia to deliver more benefits to the people of both nations.

Li made the remarks in Shanghai during his meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut, who is in China to attend the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE).

Li noted that, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Serbia relations have sustained a strong momentum of growth, with mutually beneficial cooperation expanding across various fields.

Recalling that the two heads of state have met twice this year, Li said the two leaders have reached a broad consensus on major issues, which has paved the way for building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.

China is prepared to work with Serbia in the spirit of mutual respect and trust, to strongly support each other's core interests and main concerns, deepen the content of bilateral relations, and promote more practical and meaningful cooperation to bring greater benefits to both peoples, the Chinese premier emphasized.

Li also pointed out that the recommendations adopted at the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee have laid out a strategic blueprint for China's development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) and beyond.

China, he said, is willing to strengthen the alignment between its development plan and Serbia's "Serbia 2035" strategy, fully utilize the bilateral Free Trade Agreement, and leverage the role of the China-Serbia Intergovernmental Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation.

He called for advancing key projects like the Belgrade–Budapest railway within the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and for harnessing the potential in emerging sectors including technological innovation, green economy, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence, to further expand and strengthen bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

Li also called on both sides to boost exchanges in culture, tourism, education, and sports to promote deeper understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

He said China is ready to collaborate closely with Serbia at the United Nations and other multilateral platforms to jointly promote four major global initiatives proposed by China, uphold genuine multilateralism, enhance global governance, and help build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Prime Minister Macut stated that Serbia and China share a deep traditional friendship, and their bilateral relations have significantly improved in recent years. He noted that successful mutual visits by the two heads of state have elevated bilateral ties to a historic level.

Macut reaffirmed Serbia's firm commitment to the one-China principle and its strong support for China's legitimate position on issues concerning its core interests.

He expressed heartfelt appreciation for China's valuable support for Serbia's economic and social development. He voiced readiness to strengthen high-level exchanges and deepen cooperation in economy, trade, investment, manufacturing, science and technology, artificial intelligence, and tourism.

He also said China's robust economic growth injects strong momentum into global sustainable development and that Serbia believes China's upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan will create new opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

Serbia firmly supports the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four global initiatives, and stands ready to enhance coordination with China in multilateral settings to promote common development and prosperity, Macut added.