China and Serbia vow for "steely friendship"

2024-05-08 12:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Military guards lined up in Belgrade on Wednesday to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived in Serbia on Tuesday evening to discuss multibillion-euro investments in the Balkan country, which aims for European integration but maintains close ties with Russia. and Beijing.

Russian-made MiG-29 jets escorted the Chinese president's plane as it arrived in Belgrade on Tuesday.

"We are writing history today," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told a crowd gathered in front of the Serbian presidential palace on Wednesday.

Both leaders boast of an "iron partnership" between their countries. Along with Hungary, which is President Xi's next stop, Serbia is the strongest supporter in Europe of China's massive infrastructure project, known as the Belt and Road, across parts of Asia and Europe.

President Xi said he was touched by the warm reception and expressed confidence that his visit will "open a new chapter" in relations between the two countries.

"Serbia has become China's first strategic partner in Central and Eastern Europe," President Xi said, referring to a 2016 agreement on a strategic partnership between the two countries.

President Vu?i? said that Serbia considers the island of Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a breakaway province, as part of China, just as China considers Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, as part of Serbia.

Observers say that the visits to Serbia and Hungary are part of President Xi's efforts to get closer to two European countries that are pro-Russia and major beneficiaries of Chinese investments.

During President Xi's visit to France, President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen urged the Chinese leader to ensure more balanced trade with Europe and use his influence in Russia to end the war in Ukraine. but to no avail, according to analysts.

The symbolism of the visit

President Xi's visit comes on the anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by NATO, which was conducting a campaign against Serbian forces to force former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic to end the repression of Albanians in Kosovo. The bombing, which killed three journalists and injured 20 Chinese nationals, prompted outrage in China and an apology from then-US President Bill Clinton.

"The Chinese people value peace, but will never allow a historical tragedy to repeat itself," President Xi said in an op-ed in the Belgrade daily Politika on Tuesday.

Last year, President Vu?i? signed a free trade agreement with President Xi, which is due to enter into force in July, opening the doors of the huge Chinese market to Serbian companies.

"The free trade agreement will bring security to our farmers", said President Vucic during his welcoming speech.

China owns mines and factories across Serbia and has loaned billions for roads, bridges and new facilities, becoming Serbia's main partner in developing much-needed infrastructure.

According to the Serbian investment agency, in 2023 China was the second largest trading partner of Serbia after the European Union, with a trade exchange of 6.1 billion dollars and among its five main investors./ Voa