BEIJING , May 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a signed
article published in Serbian media on Tuesday that China stands ready to make China-Serbia
ironclad friendship deliver more benefits to the two peoples.
Serbia is one of the stops of President Xi's ongoing visit to
Europe. What is the significance
of this visit? Three Serbian scholars shared their views with
Global Times.
Bojan Lalic, director of the
Belt and Road Institute in Belgrade
Serbia and China are
strengthening their ironclad friendship every day, which
inseparably binds the industries, universities and cultural
heritage of the two nations. Our relationship has stood the test of
time only because we understand that these pillars must not be
separated. There is no economic progress without education and
culture.
Serbia joined the BRI very early. In 2021, the Belt and Road
Institute was established by the Government of the Republic of
Serbia, University of Novi Sad and Serbian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry with the aim of in-depth study of the initiative's
developments and transforming policies, conclusions and guidelines
into actionable measures. Besides major Chinese companies in
Serbia, the Chinese Culture Center in Belgrade, Confucius Institutes, and the future
China-Serbia Industrial Park, the Institute represents the driver
of ecosystem development for Belt and Road Cooperation in the next
decade. President Aleksandar Vucic
has emphasized on several occasions that the strategic role of
cooperation in the BRI for Serbia represents an important catalyst
and framework for future development.
Katarina Zakic, head of
Regional Centre for Belt and Road, Institute of International
Politics and Economics in Belgrade, on these issues
In Serbian we use a term to describe a strong and enduring
friendship - we call it "steel friendship." Steel is known for its
strength, durability and ability to withstand the test of time. By
using this slogan, we are emphasizing the strong relationship
between our two countries, one that can endure changing conditions
and challenges and is difficult to destroy. Like any friendship,
our relationship is built on trust, loyalty and sincerity.
China was a Serbian friend
during challenging times in history, and the Serbian people have
never forgotten this. The establishments of China-Serbia strategic
partnership in 2009 and the comprehensive strategic partnership in
2016 were not sudden events but rather the official signal that
China-Serbia relationship is constantly improving and that both
sides are committed to the further development of diplomatic
relations.
Ivona Ladjevac, Deputy Director at Institute of International
Politics and Economics in Belgrade
From the moment of establishing diplomatic relations, both the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and later the Republic of Serbia as
its successor, paid significant attention to developing their
relations with the People's Republic of
China. For Serbia, there is no doubt that China is one of the major players in
international relations. The two countries developed their
relations based on the principles of equality and mutual respect
without interfering in each other's internal affairs, which over
the decades proved to be a tried and tested recipe for building
friendly relations.
A developing China can bring
more not only to Serbia and Europe
but also to the entire world, due to the rich experience it gained
in the process of modernization. China became a model country for all countries
that are not satisfied with "one model fits all" solutions.
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SOURCE Global Times