China pledges support for Serbia's sovereignty, development

China will steadfastly support Serbia in upholding its national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, while actively backing its pursuit of development and prosperity, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric in Tianjin, who is paying a three-day official visit to China, starting on Thursday.

China is continuously improving its system of high-level opening-up, which not only provides impetus for the country's development but also creates new opportunities for cooperation with countries worldwide, Wang said.

He welcomed Serbia to ride the "express train" of China's development and work together to achieve modernization.

Wang also expressed appreciation for Serbia's active response to and participation in the three global initiatives proposed by China, jointly upholding international fairness and justice.

Djuric said Serbia regards its relationship with China as a cornerstone of its foreign policy, and deepening cooperation with China has become a cross-party and the whole-society consensus.

He called for closer cooperation to advance bilateral ties, while pledging firm commitment to the one-China policy and support for China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Recognizing China's balanced and constructive role in international affairs, Djuric said Serbia supports advancing cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries and looks forward to close communication and coordination with Beijing to jointly address global challenges.

During the talks, the two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and the situation in the Middle East.