Xi says China ready to consolidate friendly ties with Serbia

Workers unload a container of China's Sinopharm inactivated coronavirus vaccines at the Belgrade Airport, Serbia, Jan. 16, 2021. (Photo by Predrag Milosavljevic/Xinhua)

Noting that the Serbian people attach great importance to friendship, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the iron-clad China-Serbia friendship is most valuable and deserves to be firmly upheld and carried forward from generation to generation.

BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that China stands ready to work with Serbia to make their friendly relations even stronger with the passing of time.

In a telephone conversation with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, Xi noted that as both China and Serbia are facing new opportunities and challenges at present, the two countries need to view and develop their relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.

Noting that the Serbian people attach great importance to friendship, Xi said the iron-clad China-Serbia friendship is most valuable and deserves to be firmly upheld and carried forward from generation to generation.

Xi stressed that the two countries should firmly support each other while making respective efforts to safeguard their national sovereignty and security.

Chinese expert medical team member Cheng Shouzhen (1st L) delivers brochures on COVID-19 epidemic prevention to the medical staff of a nursing center in Belgrade, Serbia, May 12, 2020. (Xinhua)

China supports the development path chosen by the Serbian people based on their national conditions, Xi said.

The two sides should speed up high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, foster new growth areas of cooperation, share opportunities and seek common development, Xi said.

The two sides need to work together to tackle global challenges such as COVID-19, economic recovery and climate change, Xi said, adding that China is ready to offer further assistance to Serbia in fighting the epidemic as needed.

China and Serbia should also strengthen coordination in multilateral affairs, firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, defend international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and practice true multilateralism, Xi said.

Xi added that both sides must fully implement the consensus and outcomes of the Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and push for constant new progress in China-CEEC cooperation.

A China-Europe freight train carrying anti-epidemic supplies prepares to head for Belgrade, Serbia, in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, May 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

For his part, Vucic expressed warm congratulations on 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Under the leadership of the CPC, Vucic noted, China has made great achievements that have attracted worldwide attention, achieved national prosperity and become an important force in promoting world peace and development.

Vucic said he firmly believes that the CPC will continue leading the Chinese people to stride forward along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

China is a great friend of Serbia and the Serbia-China relations are at their best in history, said Vucic, adding that the Serbian side is very proud of the iron-clad friendship between Serbia and China.

China has provided invaluable assistance for Serbia in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, deepened and consolidated traditional friendship, said the Serbian president, voicing hope that the two sides will continue strengthening cooperation in vaccines and other fields.

Serbia is ready to actively participate in the joint construction of the Belt and Road and expand practical cooperation in various fields, Vucic said, noting that his country firmly supports and will continue actively promoting China-CEEC cooperation.

Vucic wished a long-lasting friendship between Serbia and China.