Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (d) welcomes his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on May 8, 2024 in Belgrade (AFP / Elvis BARUKCIC)
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rolled out the red carpet on Wednesday for his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who came to deepen economic and political ties with one of the friendliest European countries towards Beijing.
China has invested billions of euros in Serbia and the Balkans, particularly in the mining and manufacturing sectors. A sign of the strength of relations, Beijing and Belgrade signed a free trade agreement last year.
Accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, Xi Jinping was received by Aleksandar Vucic on a red carpet outside the main government buildings in Belgrade, to the sound of the military fanfare and the Chinese national anthem.
The two leaders greeted, from a balcony, a crowd of several thousand enthusiastic people, some waving Chinese flags, according to images from Serbian state television RTS.
Aleksandar Vucic welcomed Xi Jinping and called him “a friend of Serbia.” “The respect and love that he will find here, in our Serbia, he will not find anywhere else,” chanted Mr. Vucic.
Addressing the crowd, the Serbian president then said: “We have a clear and simple position regarding the territorial integrity of China. Yes, Taiwan is China.”
Chinese and Serbian flags during the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 8, 2024 in Belgrade (AFP / STRINGER)
Comments which seemed to delight Xi Jinping, because most European leaders, even if their countries do not recognize Taiwan, usually refrain from making similar remarks in such an assertive manner.
China has in recent years stepped up pressure on Taiwan, an island it has failed to conquer since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
– NATO bombing –
At the start of their bilateral meeting, Xi Jinping told Aleksandar Vucic that there was “a strong feeling of friendship” between their two countries.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (d) and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping after signing bilateral documents, May 8, 2024 in Belgrade (AFP / Elvis Barukcic)
They then signed a declaration on consolidating their diplomatic ties and witnessed the presentation of various trade promises such as the purchase of Chinese trains, the opening of new air routes and increased imports of Serbian products.
Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade on Tuesday evening after a state visit to France.
Welcomed in Paris with pomp, he nevertheless had frank exchanges with President Emmanuel Macron on China-Europe trade disputes and even Beijing-Moscow links, viewed with suspicion by Westerners against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
Xi Jinping is making his first trip to Europe since 2019. In addition to France, he is going to Serbia, then is expected Wednesday evening in Hungary, the latter two countries being considered among the friendliest towards Beijing and Moscow in Europe .
Photo released by the press service of the Serbian presidency on May 8, 2024, of Chinese President Xi Jinping (c), accompanied by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (l), greeting the crowd gathered in Belgrade (Press service of the Serbian presidency / DIMITRIJE GOLL )
His visit to Belgrade coincides with the 25th anniversary of the American bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, which left three people dead on May 7, 1999.
The building was hit during the military campaign led by NATO against Serbian targets during the Kosovo War.
Returning to this event in an article published Tuesday in the Serbian daily Politika, Xi Jinping wrote that NATO had “shamelessly bombed” the embassy and promised that his country “will never allow” this “tragedy” to happen again.
– “Great honor” –
Speaking to the press, Xi Jinping again called on China and Serbia on Wednesday to “firmly support each other’s fundamental interests.”
Serbia defends China’s claims to Taiwan. In return, Beijing supports Belgrade over Kosovo, a territory that has proclaimed its independence but has a contested status.
Photo released by the press service of the Serbian presidency, on May 7, 2024, of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyan upon their arrival at Belgrade airport (Press service of the Serbian presidency / DIMITRIJE GOLL)
“China supports Serbia (…) in its efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity on the issue of Kosovo,” Xi Jinping underlined on Wednesday.
“For Serbia, this is undoubtedly one of the most important visits,” Marko Tmusic, professor of political science at the University of Belgrade, told AFP.
“Being “side by side” with France – with which China is celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations – and Hungary is a great honor,” he adds.
In Belgrade, Xi Jinping received a very warm welcome.
In France, Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged him to prevent the export to Russia of products that could be used in its invasion of Ukraine and to do everything possible to reason with Russia.
Faced with Western criticism of his ties with Moscow, Xi Jinping called not to “smear” China.
