Vucic arrives in Beijing, kicks off five-day state visit to China

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrived in Beijing on Sunday, beginning his five-day state visit to China, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Experts said Vucic's visit could not only further strengthen bilateral relations, but also give Serbia greater room to pursue its balancing diplomacy among major powers, as many European leaders, along with leaders from other major countries, seek to lift their ties with China into a new phase.

Vucic's state visit to China runs from May 24 to 28, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Wednesday, according to Xinhua.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Vucic thanked the Chinese hosts for the attention and welcome they had extended to him, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) reported. 

Speaking to the media, Vucic said he would visit the Great Wall during the day and hold his first meetings in the evening, according to RTS. 

Later on Sunday, Vucic posted photos of his visit to the Great Wall, writing in Serbian that "I have visited China many times and admired its progress, dynamism and scale, but only now have I had the opportunity to see the Great Wall and experience a special emotion before one of the greatest symbols of human history and civilization."

Serbia is the first European country to agree with China on building a community with a shared future for the new era with China, and is an important partner of China in Southeast Europe. This visit marks Vucic's first state visit to China, Xinhua reported on Sunday. 

China stands ready to work with Serbia to build on the momentum of the visit to consolidate our iron-clad friendship, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, enrich people-to-people and cultural exchanges, strengthen coordination on multilateral affairs, and strive for more tangible outcomes in building our community with a shared future for the new era to deliver for both peoples, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday.

Ahead of his visit to China, Vucic met with Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming.

Vucic said the trip would be the most important visit of his political career, and that he looked forward to using the visit as an opportunity to further cement the iron-clad friendship between the two countries, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and deliver more tangible outcomes in building a China-Serbia community with a shared future for the new era for the benefit of both peoples, cctv.com reported on Sunday. 

Vucic also spoke highly of China's development achievements, saying China is not only a model of steady global economic growth, but also an example of upholding international principles. 

He said China, through its consistent and principled stance, wise policies and outstanding international reputation, has made significant contributions to world peace, stability and cooperation. Amid growing global uncertainties and changes, he noted, these qualities are particularly valuable, according to cctv.com.

Bilateral relations have remained at a high level in recent years, with notable progress in trade, economic cooperation and political mutual trust, Cui Hongjian, professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times. He noted that against this backdrop, Vucic's visit to China is clearly aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation. Serbia's demand for closer cooperation with China is also growing across economic, diplomatic and security spheres.

Serbia attaches great importance to this visit to China, showing its firm determination to deepen China-Serbia cooperation and accelerate bilateral collaboration, Cui said. The profound friendship between the two countries serves as a vivid embodiment of China's diplomatic philosophy that all countries, big or small, are equal and pursue mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Cui added that beyond traditional sectors like infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and trade, emerging industries including artificial intelligence and digital economy will be key cooperation areas. Deepening cooperation in these fields will facilitate Serbia's industrial upgrading and help it align better with European regional development systems, the expert said.

China and Serbia are also expected to voice fair and rational opinions on major international and regional issues, convey their consensus and solutions, and make positive contributions to addressing and resolving major international issues and challenges, Dong Yifan, an associate researcher at the Institute of Country and Regional Studies at Beijing Language and Culture University, told the Global Times. 

The same day as Vucic arrived in Beijing, he published an opinion piece on South China Morning Post, in which he wrote that "In Europe, discussions about China are too often clouded by suspicion and strategic anxiety. I understand that every major political community must guard its future, but I believe Europe should approach China not with fear and suspicion but with confidence and a serious, open-eyed willingness to cooperate."

"The friendship between Serbia and China is not directed against anyone. It is not exclusive, nor is it ideological. It is based on sovereignty and practical results. In Serbia, we judge partnerships by the factories that remain open, the railways that connect our people and the certainty our citizens feel about their future," wrote the Serbian president.

From the second half of last year until now, numerous European leaders are seeking to lift their countries' ties with China to a new phase, said Cui, noting that Serbia has always sought to strike a balance between China, the US, EU and Russia, thus, current international atmosphere also gives Serbia a chance to enhance cooperation with China. 

Moreover, China's relationship with Serbia has objectively created a certain demonstration effect. Other European countries are likely to reflect on why ties between China and Serbia have remained stable while cooperation continues to expand across various fields. Especially at a time when China's relations with some European countries, particularly EU member states, are facing difficulties in economic, trade and political areas, Serbia has, to some extent, become a point of reference, said Cui, adding that it could also encourage more rational reflection and adjustments to China policy within European countries, Cui noted.