China and Serbia to advance cooperation, friendship

President Xi Jinping and his Serbian counterpart President Tomislav Nikolic agreed on Thursday to advance the development of the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership to benefit the people of both countries.

The two countries should keep the current momentum of high-level communication, enhance government, legislature, political party and local-level exchanges, Xi told the Serbian president, who is visiting China from Tuesday to Saturday.

Mentioning that his state visit to Serbia in June last year was successful, Xi said China is willing to strengthen the already solid friendship with Serbia. He called for close interconnection regarding the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Serbia's national strategy of re-industrialization.

The two sides should make progress in cooperation on major projects like the Budapest-Belgrade railway, explore joint construction of an industrial park and work together in areas including infrastructure, agriculture, biology and pharmacy, and renewable resources, Xi said.

During Xi's state visit to Serbia, the two countries signed a joint declaration to lift the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the first one of its kind in the Central and Eastern European region.

Both sides also signed more than 20 cooperative documents covering areas that include investment, economic and trade, people-to-people exchanges and cultural communications during Xi's visit.

Nikolic said the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative is of great significance to the future and destiny of the people from all nations of the world.

Serbia appreciates China's principle of mutual trust and equal treatment in developing diplomatic ties, according to Nikolic, stressing that Serbia will forever uphold the One-China policy.

After the meeting, Nikolic attended a ceremony to receive Beijing municipal honorary citizenship.