

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other ruling party officials meeting the Chinese Communist Party delegation in Belgrade. Photo: Presidency of Serbia/Dimitrije Goll

The ruling parties in China and Serbia on Monday pledged to forge ever-closer links, as a Chinese Communist Party delegation in Belgrade met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

Both sides hailed the strong relations between the two countries but also between the two ruling parties – the Chinese Communist Party and Serbian Progressive Party, SNS.

Chinese Community Politburo member Yang Xiaodu, the Chinese delegation leader, told Serbian Prime Minister Brnabic – who only joined the Progressive Party four days ago – that the two parties and countries were “all-time friends and important partners” that shared the same values of service to the people.

At a meeting with President Vucic, who is also the SNS leader, Xiaodu said the goal of the visit was to realise previous agreements made between the two presidents and intensify exchanges between the two parties.

“I am sincerely thankful to the Serbian Progressive Party, especially to you personally, for your hospitality and careful organisation for my delegation, especially [to SNS] vice-president [Marko] Djuric [who] is with me and our delegation all the time and has done everything for us,” Xiaodu said.

Serbian officials congratulated their Chinese guests on the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. They also thanked China for its important investments in Serbia and for its equally important diplomatic support over the issue of Kosovo.

Like Serbia, China has not recognised the mainly ethnic Albanian former province of Serbia that declared independence with Western backing in February 2008.

The Chinese delegation previously visited Novi Sad, the main city in northern Serbia, where the local authorities, also members of the Progressive Party, welcomed them. On Sunday, some members visited an extended session of the SNS executive committee, held in the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad.

“This is going to be a meeting of friends and today the representatives of the world champions in political work will talk to the European champions,” said Novi Sad Mayor Milos Vucevic.

The two countries have long developed economic cooperation, with Serbia forming an important part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in southeast Europe. China is also becoming a “player” in Serbia’s security sector, as BIRN previously reported.