Editor's note: Lin G. is a CGTN economic commentator. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of CGTN.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrived in Beijing on Sunday, May 24, for a five-day state visit that reflects the continued deepening relationship already tested by time. 

Over the past decade, while international geopolitics went through cycles of change as turbulence shifted across Europe and beyond, Serbia maintained a strategic and cooperative approach with China. Today, that strategy is proving increasingly effective.

Serbia was among the earliest European countries to partner with China in the Belt and Road Initiative. It witnessed multiple landmark projects in China-Europe cooperation, including the first China-built highway in Europe, the first China-built bridge in Europe and the first high-speed railway project between China and European partners. It was also the first among central and eastern European countries to sign a free trade agreement with China. Since the China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement came into effect in 2024, bilateral trade has maintained a rapid growth momentum.

After years of framed narratives, including "collapse theories" and "threat theories," China today remains one of the world's most stable and consistently growing major economies, and continues to open a door for cooperation. For countries seeking long-term modernization rather than short-term political positioning, such predictability carries increasing significance. Serbia, for example, established cooperation with China from a long-term perspective. This allowed it to avoid being pulled back and forth by constantly shifting geopolitical rhetoric.

In earlier years, cooperation with China was often reportedly in association with infrastructure construction. This, however, reflected an earlier development path. As Chinese enterprises gained more experience in infrastructure, partner countries naturally gained access to capabilities through highways, railways, bridges and logistics networks. 

Today, China's development is entering a new stage. Cooperation with China is increasingly expanding into renewable energy, electric vehicles and intelligent manufacturing. As China upgrades its industrial and technological capabilities, countries cooperating with China are also able to participate in these new sectors of growth and modernization, such as digital industries and artificial intelligence applications.

Cooperation with China is not static. It evolves with China's development path. Behind this evolving pattern lies China's consistent emphasis on long-term continuity in its approach to international cooperation. 

Unlike certain forms of international capital that often prioritize rapid financial gains, China's development philosophy has traditionally placed greater emphasis on sustained relationships, enduring credibility, and long-horizon development outcomes. 

This is deeply connected to China's historical and cultural experience. For much of Chinese history, economic and social life was built upon local development and community presence. Stability and reputation carried lasting value because people, businesses and families were expected to be rooted in the same place over extended periods of time.

As a result, enduring reputation outweighs the temptation of short-term opportunities, and sound conduct underpins sustainable cooperation. Over time, this reinforced a development logic in which continuity was more valuable than volatility, and long-term cooperation was more sustainable than short-term gain. This historical foundation continues to shape China's modern development approach structurally. 

It helps explain why China's engagement with partners is often framed around long-term planning and institutional continuity rather than short-term transactional logic. Infrastructure connectivity, industrial cooperation and technological collaboration are not treated as isolated projects but as components of a long-term relationship. This also explains why many countries increasingly view cooperation with China not as a temporary geopolitical arrangement, but as part of a broader long-term development strategy.

Serbia understood this early.

As China continues to advance to higher levels of industrial upgrading and technological innovation, the increasing opportunities should tell their own story. Countries that established long-term partnerships with China earlier are now finding themselves better positioned to participate in the next stage of global industrial and technological transformation.

(Cover via VCG)