Hailed as the pride of Serbia, the century-old Smederevo Steelworks stands as a shining symbol of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Serbia.

Once mired in severe operational difficulties and on the brink of bankruptcy, the plant made a remarkable comeback in 2016 when its Chinese partner arrived, thanks to the deepening of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries. Today, it has become one of the world's largest iron and steel makers and integrated service providers measured by production capacity.

During a state visit to Serbia in 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic replica steel models as gifts. The models, in the shape of China's Temple of Heaven and Serbia's Church of Saint Sava, were made of steel produced by the plant, signifying the stronger ties between the two countries.

On Monday, the two leaders held talks in Beijing. Xi called on the two countries to jointly forge a bright path toward a shared future and common prosperity and elevate the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights.

Ironclad friendship

From the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to commemorative activities marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Vucic has attended multiple major events in China. The term "ironclad friendship" has become a hallmark of bilateral meetings and phone calls between the two leaders.

Guided by the strategic guidance of the two leaders, China-Serbia relations have maintained high-standard development in recent years. In 2025, bilateral trade reached $6.49 billion, marking a 13% year-on-year increase, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Serbia was among the earliest European countries to partner with China in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In recent years, China and Serbia, under the BRI, have accelerated the development of a series of projects such as the Budapest-Belgrade railway and the Fruska Gora Corridor linking Novi Sad and Ruma.

In October 2025, the Chinese-built Serbian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway was fully inaugurated. Vucic marked the occasion by taking a ride on the newly opened railway, hailing it as a generational achievement that "will forever be written into the history books."

With the China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement taking effect on July 1, 2024, Serbian specialty products, such as wine, honey, beef and mutton, are increasingly entering the Chinese market. Meanwhile, projects constructed with the participation of Chinese companies, such as the Belgrade bypass and the Gornji Milanovac bypass, have been completed, serving as key infrastructure projects supporting Serbia's national development.

The ironclad friendship between China and Serbia is unique and has a profound historical logic and practical foundation, Xi told Vucic, urging both sides to continue to strengthen youth and cultural exchanges and leverage visa exemption policies, the free trade agreement, and direct flights to expand all-round cooperation in multiple areas to inherit and carry forward the traditional friendship.

On Monday, Xi also awarded Vucic the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China. Describing the occasion as "one of the most important moments of my life," Vucic reaffirmed his commitment to promoting the bilateral friendship between Serbia and China and advancing the building of a Serbia-China community with a shared future.

Shared future

Built on shared historical trials and lofty aspirations, China and Serbia both cherish perseverance and resilience, uphold national independence and dignity, and share a profound understanding of the importance of upholding peaceful development, fairness and justice, Xi noted during Monday's meeting.

In May 2024, Serbia became the first European country to agree with China on building a community with a shared future for the new era. Since then, the bilateral partnership has expanded beyond infrastructure into technology, green energy, and artificial intelligence, securing a promising start toward building a China-Serbia community with a shared future.

After Monday's meeting between Xi and Vucic, the two countries issued a joint statement advancing the four global initiatives proposed by China: the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI).

Highlighting that the four global initiatives have contributed Chinese wisdom and strength to solving global development problems, addressing global security challenges, promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and improving global governance, Serbia has decided to participate in the Group of Friends of the GDI and the Group of Friends of the GGI, demonstrating its willingness to deepen cooperation with China on international governance and global development.

Xi called on China and Serbia to continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, practice true multilateralism, and make unremitting efforts to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world, universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.