May the light of our steel friendship shine on the path of cooperation between China and Serbia

As summer approaches, all plants are blooming. In this time full of hope, at the invitation of President Aleksandar Vucic, I will be staying on a state visit to the Republic of Serbia.

This will be my second visit to your country, a country of beauty and legends, as the President of the People's Republic of China. The friendly scenes during my last visit to Serbia eight years ago are still vivid in my mind, and in the past 8 years, close cooperation between the two sides has already achieved fruitful results. I look forward to meeting with President Vucic and other Serbian leaders and friends to discuss our friendship, plan cooperation, and inject new vitality into the steel friendship between China and Serbia.

There has always been an affinity between the people of China and Serbia despite the great distance between us. During the bitter Anti-Fascist War and in the period of their own state-building last century, the peoples of the two countries forged a strong friendship that extends through time and space. Amid the ongoing transformation of the world unseen in a century, the mutual support of the two sides is stronger, mutually beneficial cooperation is closer, while our exchanges and mutual learning are more substantive. No matter what the changes in the international situation, China and Serbia remain true friends and good partners. Our steel friendship is continuously strengthening, setting an example for cooperation between states and peoples.

Our two countries have always respected and trusted each other. President Vucic and I have developed a good working relationship through our meetings, phone calls, and letter exchanges. The two countries maintain close cooperation at all levels and in all areas. Both sides fully understand and respect their people's choice of developmental path, advocate for the principle of justice and fairness, and firmly support each other's essential interests of utmost importance to us. We have maintained close and smooth coordination and cooperation in bilateral and multilateral areas. The comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is continuously deepening with tangible results.

Our two countries have remained committed to mutual benefit. Serbia is China's first free trade partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Last year, China was the largest source of foreign investment and the second largest trading partner of Serbia. Dynamic cooperation between the two sides in the fields of economy and trade, industrial chains, and infrastructure construction provides a significant boost to the modernization process of both countries. HBIS Smederevo steel plant, which I visited in 2016, is already one of Serbia's top three exporters. Serbian agricultural and food products such as honey, red wine, beef, and lamb are very popular with Chinese consumers.

Our two countries have always helped each other. After the outbreak of COVID-19, I had two phone conversations with President Vucic, and we reached important consensuses on cooperation in fighting the pandemic. The Chinese side provided assistance and prioritized the provision of multiple batches of protective and medical supplies, and sent medical experts to Serbia. The Serbian side provided full support to the Chinese side in implementing the "Spring Seedling" program to vaccinate Chinese nationals living and working in Serbia. Non-governmental organizations in Serbia spontaneously donated masks and other supplies to Chinese citizens. Our mutual support in challenging times is a testament to our invaluable fraternal friendship.

Our two countries have always learned from each other. China and Serbia are committed to the happiness of the people and the prosperity of the state, actively exchanging experiences in state governance, and strengthening cooperation between political parties. The two peoples harbor very pleasant feelings toward each other, evidenced by dynamic cultural, sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. Serbian basketball star Nikola Jokic has supported basketball players playing in rural basketball matches. The visa exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders concluded between our two countries has provided conveniences for people-to-people exchanges and bilateral cooperation.

The Chinese saying goes "friends are those who think alike," while Serbians say "friends are the greatest treasure in life." Long-lasting friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Serbia fully indicate that the continuous deepening and development of relations between the two countries are in line with historical trends and the fundamental interests of the people, contributing to the common progress of both sides. On the new path and in the new era, the further development of the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership holds great potential. I am ready to make real efforts through this visit and together with the Serbian side to dedicatedly promote the China-Serbia steel friendship, contribute to the well-being of both peoples, enhance world peace and development, and together promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

We should consistently be good friends who treat each other sincerely. China and Serbia will further deepen and expand the comprehensive strategic partnership. The two sides will continuously move along the path of mutual understanding, trust, support, and assistance, continue to firmly support each other in important issues of vital interest and exceptional importance. China respects and supports the choice of the Serbian people for their developmental path, supports Serbia's efforts in preserving national sovereignty and territorial integrity, opposing the interference of any force in Serbian internal affairs.

We should consistently be good partners in cooperation and joint victory. China is striving to promote modernization in every respect through high-quality development, as well as to rapidly develop new quality productive forces. In recent years, Serbia has achieved remarkable achievements in economic and social development. China and Serbia should fully utilize the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation, implement the Medium-Term Action Plan for Joint Construction of the "Belt and Road," strive to achieve more landmark projects, expand cooperation in emerging fields such as scientific and technological innovation, advanced manufacturing, green energy, digital economy, artificial intelligence, etc., jointly share development opportunities, and create a bright future.

We should consistently play an exemplary role in promoting justice and fairness. As steel friends and guardians of world peace, China and Serbia have similar views on many important international and regional issues. Facing an international situation intertwined with changes and turbulences, we should continuously strengthen coordination in international organizations such as the United Nations and others, jointly advocate for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, together practice true multilateralism, and dedicate ourselves to preserving world peace and stability and international justice and fairness.

We should consistently strengthen the connection in the hearts of the people. The China-Serbia steel friendship, forged in blood and fire, thus radiates new brilliance in the new era. We should continuously create a three-dimensional and diverse pattern of people-to-people exchanges and local cooperation, make good use of the effects of "visa-free regime plus direct flights" and the role of mutual establishment of cultural centers, strengthen cooperation in areas of education, sports, culture, tourism, etc., and create more opportunities for young people to pass on the China-Serbia friendship from generation to generation.

Twenty-five years ago, NATO blatantly bombed the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese journalists, Shao Yunhuan, Xu Xinghu, and his wife Zhu Ying. This must never be forgotten. The Chinese people value peace but will never allow a historical tragedy to repeat itself. The friendship between China and Serbia, steeped in the blood jointly shed by both nations, has become a shared memory of the two peoples and will encourage both sides to take bold steps forward together.

As we look back on the path our two countries have traveled together, we still anticipate a promising future that we aspire to jointly. Standing at a new historical starting point, we are ready to build a community of China and Serbia with a shared future in the new era. Spring flowers will one day turn into autumn fruits, and the tree of Chinese-Serbian friendship will grow to be tall and strong, yielding more fruitful results that contribute to the well-being of both peoples. This is what we both expect and wish to witness.

An op-ed by Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, for "Politika"