Exclusive video丨Xi Jinping: A better future for China-Serbia relations is slowly unfolding
On the morning of May 8, local time, President Xi Jinping held talks with Serbian President Vucic at the Serbian Building in Belgrade.
Xi Jinping pointed out that he was very pleased to pay a state visit to Serbia at the invitation of the President. This is also my first visit to beautiful Serbia in 8 years. Thank you and the Serbian government for your hospitality and thoughtful arrangements.
As a Serbian proverb goes, “Mountains do not meet, but people often communicate with each other.” The Chinese say, "We know each other no matter how far we are, but we are still neighbors thousands of miles apart." Mr. President has warmly invited me to visit friendly Serbia many times, and I came as promised today. Good friends should move around more and communicate more.
Mr. President is an outstanding statesman with strategic vision and sense of historical responsibility. Under your leadership, Serbia has maintained political stability, rapid economic development, continuous improvement of people's living standards, and significant improvement in overall national strength and international status. As a true friend and good partner of Serbia, we are sincerely happy. Facing the complex external environment and risks and challenges, Serbia has insisted on independence, resolutely defended its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity, and resolutely safeguarded international fairness and justice, winning widespread respect from the international community.
The iron-clad friendship between China and Serbia has withstood the test of the vicissitudes of the international situation and has a profound historical heritage, a solid political foundation, extensive common interests, and a solid foundation of public opinion. In recent years, Mr. President and I have met many times to communicate and exchange views on strategic and overall issues related to China-Serbia relations, and jointly led the bilateral relations to achieve leap-forward development and achieve historic achievements. Especially since the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Serbia in 2016, the connotation of bilateral relations has become richer and the outreach has continued to expand, becoming a model of friendly relations between China and European countries. During this visit, we will jointly sign the "Joint Statement on Deepening and Upgrading the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Serbia and Building a Community with a Shared Future between China and Serbia in the New Era", opening a more colorful historical chapter in China-Serbia relations.
Standing at a new historical starting point, a brighter future for China-Serbia relations is slowly unfolding. China is willing to work with Serbia to continue to uphold the spirit of iron-clad friendship, uphold and develop China-Serbia friendship, jointly safeguard the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries, pursue their respective national development and national rejuvenation, and jointly promote the construction of a community with a shared future for China and Serbia in the new era. Promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and make new and greater contributions.