BELGRADE, Dec. 17  -- China and Serbia, as well as the whole region of Central and Eastern Europe, have mutual economic interests, which are not burdened with any unpleasant political baggage, Ljiljana Smajlovic, president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia, said on Wednesday.

"For Serbia this has an additional significance as Serbia is a traumatized country. We are lucky to have an uncomplicated emotional and political relationship with China, without any kind of an unpleasant political baggage to it," Smajlovic said.

She stressed that economic relations between China and Serbia are an example of cooperation based on mutual needs that are not burdened with any kind of unpleasant connotation on the political side.

"The cooperation between Serbia and China has never had any political conditions, while at the same time China supports us in our struggle to preserve territorial integrity which matters most to us," Smajlovic said.

She estimated that projects that were mentioned at the China-CEE leaders' summit that opened in Belgrade on Tuesday by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

"Concessions, high speed railway.... Do you know even the very mention of high speed trains in Serbia is a pleasant thing to the ear? We would really love to watch this becoming reality," she said.

Smajlovic stressed that China is becoming more present in the region, and that it is "no altruism or giving charity, but a beginning of a profitable economic cooperation".

"This is about cooperation on creating healthy economic relations. China needs logistical changes and infrastructure in the region that we also need. So this is an example of being complementary to each other's advantages," Smajlovic concluded.