Chinese President Xi Jinping is paying a state visit to Serbia at the invitation of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. Being the first trip made by a Chinese president in three decades, this visit is of great importance for the bilateral relationship of the two countries, which are already working on several initiatives to take the ties to a much higher level of bilateral cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic attend a ceremony to lay the cornerstone for a Chinese culture center in Belgrade, Serbia, June 17, 2016. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

President Xi's trip comes after several high-level exchanges in recent years. Premier Li Keqiang visited Serbia in 2014, while Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli paid a visit in 2015. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic was in China in September 2015 to attend the important military parade marking the 70th anniversary of end of the World War II.

Xi's visit is expected to help chalk out a roadmap for future development of ties between the two countries through the enhancement of bilateral cooperation. As a major step forward, the two countries will sign several agreements to promote political, economic and diplomatic relations. Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic was reported as saying that roughly 20 agreements were ready for signatures.

The relationship between China and Serbia is based on mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and a deepening economic cooperation. It goes back several decades when former Yugoslavia recognized the newly emerged People's Republic of China in 1949. They later established formal diplomatic ties in the mid-1950s. During the painful years following the demise of former Yugoslavia, China has developed close ties with Serbia by supporting it on critical occasions.

For example, Beijing provided solid support to Belgrade in the conflict of Kosovo. It opposed the NATO airstrikes of 1999 as illegal. China had to pay a price in the conflict, when NATO warplanes "accidentally" bombed its embassy in Belgrade.

The solidarity shown by China for Serbia in this time of crisis was not limited to diplomatic goodwill, as it also reportedly invested several million dollars to support its economy crippled by war. Later, China also criticized the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo in 2008. Serbia has recognized all of this by reciprocally supporting the "One China Policy" and expressing a keen desire for establishing strategic partnership.

A major initiative for the closer relationship is the joint declaration of 2009 to set up bilateral strategic partnership. It is sure to get a major boost by the visit of President Xi. In fact, the strategic location of Serbia can provide a foothold for China in its efforts to promote links with the eastern and central European countries.

Chinese Ambassador Li Manchang, in an interview ahead of Xi's visit, said that Sino-Serbian cooperation is an example of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe and that it will further boost China's ties with Europe.

He also said that mutual cooperation has expanded in recent years, from infrastructure construction to the realms of energy, iron, steel, telecommunications and finance, and from loans to investments and joint ventures.

Serbia is also important for China's "Belt and Road" initiative. The ambitious plan aims to forge close links among countries on either continent for fast trade and commercial transactions. Once completed, it will be helpful in ending conflict and promoting economic partnerships.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said in a recent interview that the "Belt and Road" initiative and the "16+1 Cooperation" mechanism would further cement existing ties. "We are on the route of 'the Belt and Road' and we also belong to the 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Yet our bilateral relations will go beyond them," said Nikolic.

President Nikolic was echoing what has already been agreed between the two countries, as they signed a memorandum in 2015 to jointly promote "Belt and Road" construction. Serbian support for the flagship initiative will promote the concept of win-win cooperation among different countries.

Despite good intentions to increase cooperation with China, Serbia would have to seek a balance between its declared strategic goal to join the EU and maintain strong ties with Beijing, as some of the EU nations may not feel easy with growing Chinese investment and influence in the Balkans.

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)