Xi hails Sino-Serbian bond

President Xi Jinping called on China and Serbia, bonded by their unique ironclad friendship, to strengthen the alignment of development strategies, expand cooperation in emerging sectors, enhance youth and people-to-people exchanges, and step up coordination in international affairs, as he held talks with visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Beijing on Monday.

Xi awarded Vucic the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China, the country's highest state honor for foreigners.

The two sides also issued a joint statement on Monday on continuously promoting the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future for the new era, as well as a joint statement on jointly promoting the implementation of the four major global initiatives.

During the meeting, Xi recalled his state visit to Serbia in 2024, when the two countries agreed to build a China-Serbia community with a shared future for the new era, making Serbia the first European country to join China in building such a community.

Xi called on the two countries to strengthen exchanges, consolidate mutual trust, deepen cooperation and support each other, in order to jointly follow a bright path toward a shared future and common prosperity and promote the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height.

Xi stressed that the ironclad friendship between China and Serbia is unique, with profound historical logic and a strong foundation in reality, and he urged the two sides to continue to firmly support each other.

China supports Serbia in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and is ready to strengthen exchanges with Serbia on governance experience, Xi said.

Noting that China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) has made comprehensive arrangements for high-quality development goals, Xi said the two sides should implement the midterm action plan for Belt and Road cooperation and continue to advance cooperation in areas including transportation and energy infrastructure.

Facing a new scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, the two sides should expand cooperation in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, green energy and advanced manufacturing to foster new growth drivers, Xi said.

On youth and people-to-people exchanges, Xi said the two sides should make good use of the multidimensional framework of their visa-free policies, free trade agreement and direct flights, expand cooperation across the board in culture, education, sports, tourism and subnational exchanges, and carry forward the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Serbian peoples.