Category: Europe

Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico paid an official visit to China, October 31-November 5.

He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 1.

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Slovakia, Xi said that after three-quarters of a century of development, the traditional friendship between the two countries is full of vitality, and the cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries.

“We have decided to elevate China-Slovakia relations to a strategic partnership, which meets the future development needs of both countries and will inject new and powerful momentum into bilateral cooperation,” Xi said, adding that China is willing to work together with Slovakia to open a new chapter in bilateral relations and lift their ties to a higher level.

In order to expand pragmatic cooperation, Xi said the two countries should make good use of the newly established inter-governmental cooperation committee to strengthen synergy in new energy, transportation and logistics, infrastructure construction and water resources management. China encourages its enterprises to invest in Slovakia and welcomes Slovak enterprises to explore the market in China, he added.

Xi noted that the two countries need to strengthen international cooperation. In a complex and rapidly changing world, both sides should uphold true multilateralism, firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, advocate for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, embrace a vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

China attaches great importance to China-EU relations, Xi said, adding that next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, and China-EU relations should demonstrate due maturity and stability.

The Chinese leader expressed the hope that the new EU institutions will adhere to the orientation of the China-EU partnership, adopt a positive and pragmatic approach, properly manage differences, and refrain from politicising economic and trade issues.

Fico said Slovakia firmly adheres to the one-China policy and recognises the government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate government representing all of China. Slovakia opposes any interference in other countries’ internal affairs and advocates for respecting each country’s choice of development path.

Slovakia appreciates the three major global initiatives put forward by President Xi and is willing to strengthen exchanges with China on state governance experience and actively promote the EU’s commitment to handling differences through dialogue and consultations.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi expounded on China’s consistent principle and position, commending Slovakia for adopting an objective, rational and impartial stance. He welcomed Slovakia, as well as more like-minded countries, to play a positive role in promoting peace talks.

Fico met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang the same day.

Li said that both countries should give full play to the role of the joint economic committee and the science and technology cooperation committee and promote cooperation in various fields including the China-Europe Railway Express, connectivity, and infrastructure construction.

For his part, Fico mentioned that China’s development accomplishments in recent years have set an example for countries around the world. He said Slovakia supports the global initiatives proposed by China.

The prime minister added that Slovakia opposes the extra tariffs imposed by the EU on Chinese electric vehicles, adding that the EU and China should seek a proper solution through dialogue and consultation. He said that Slovakia is willing to strengthen exchanges and coordination with China in international affairs to jointly tackle global challenges.

After their talks, Li and Fico witnessed the signing of multiple documents on bilateral cooperation in the fields of transportation, economy and trade, culture, tourism, and green and low-carbon development.

Also on November 1, Fico met with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

Zhao said that China is ready to work with Slovakia to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate the political foundation, expand the Belt and Road cooperation and China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) cooperation, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and take China-Slovakia relations to a higher level.

China and Slovakia issued a detailed joint statement on their establishment of a strategic partnership.

It noted that: “The participants accept that they do not have any significant open questions or unresolved issues between them. Friendship and cooperation have always been the mainstream of the bilateral relations and are in line with the common and long-term interests of the two peoples.”

The second week of September saw two important official visits to China by European prime ministers. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain visited from September 8-11 and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway from September 9-11. Both premiers held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the afternoon of September 9.

Meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister, Xi Jinping said that the two sides should give full play to platforms such as the Mixed Committee on Economy and Trade and the Joint Commission on Science and Technology to jointly promote development in high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence, digital economy and new energy to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. He expressed the hope that Spain will continue to provide a fair, equitable, safe and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in the country. He urged joint efforts from the two sides to stay committed to inclusiveness and mutual learning, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges in the fields of language education, youth, culture and tourism, and promote friendship between the two peoples. China appreciates Spain’s active promotion of China-EU exchanges and cooperation during its EU rotating presidency in the second half of last year.

Pedro Sánchez said he is glad to visit China again after one year, which shows the closeness of Spain-China relations. Spain and China enjoy time-honored friendship and have constantly developed and deepened the partnership on the basis of mutual respect. He added that during his visit, the two sides signed a number of cooperation agreements in green development and other fields, demonstrating the huge potential and bright prospects of bilateral cooperation. He expressed the hope that the two sides will strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges and deepen cooperation in such fields as economy, trade and new energy vehicles. The world today faces multiple challenges such as turbulence, conflicts, poverty and climate change, which call for greater international cooperation and joint response. China is a key force in safeguarding world peace and development and plays an important, constructive role in resolving major international and regional issues. The Spanish side views its relations with China from a strategic height, firmly pursues the one-China policy, is willing to be a trustworthy partner of China, and looks forward to further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Spain and China and to making greater contributions to the well-being of the two peoples, world peace and prosperity.

Meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Xi Jinping pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Norway 70 years ago, the two peoples have respected, appreciated and learned from each other, forging a valuable friendship. Further developing China-Norway friendly cooperation is consistent with the will of the two peoples, the fundamental interests of the two countries, and an overall trend of maintaining closer ties among countries in the world to share weal and woe. Today’s world is going through rapid and profound changes unseen in a century, which are testing whether the international community can make the right choice. China will continue to follow the path of peaceful development. Through further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernisation, China will inject stability and certainty into a world fraught with changes and turbulence and create more opportunities for the common development of all countries. China is ready to work with Norway to push for continuous development of bilateral friendly cooperation.

Xi Jinping stressed that a review of the 70-year history of China-Norway relations shows that friendship and cooperation are the defining features. He said: “Historical experience tells us that to maintain the steady and sound development of bilateral relations, the most important thing is to respect each other, seek common ground while shelving differences, including respecting each other’s core interests and accommodating each other’s major concerns.”  He called on the two sides to, based on their respective strengths, expand practical cooperation in fields such as environmental protection, energy transition, maritime affairs and shipping, agricultural and fishery products, and electric vehicles, strengthen cooperation in education, science and technology, culture, tourism, winter sports and other fields, and increase personnel exchanges, especially among young people. China and Norway share extensive consensus on maintaining world peace and security, addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and tackling other global challenges.

Prime Minister Støre said that Norway was one of the first Nordic countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Norway and China 70 years ago, the two countries have witnessed sound development of bilateral relations, and the two sides have conducted dialogue and cooperation in a manner of mutual respect. Norway respects China’s sovereignty, firmly pursues the one-China policy, and is willing to continue to work with China to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, engage in mutual learning and exchanges, and foster mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. China’s development is full of vitality and has much successful experience worth learning from. Norway looks forward to expanding cooperation with China, especially in such fields as green development, climate change response, maritime affairs and shipping, agriculture, fishery and aquaculture industries, new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence. China plays an important role in addressing many global challenges facing the world today and tackling major international issues concerning international peace and security.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met his Spanish counterpart on the same day. He said that China is ready to work with Spain to focus on green development and innovation, and strengthen cooperation in new energy, energy conservation, environmental protection, the digital economy and space.

Li said China stands ready to work with Spain to uphold openness and cooperation, safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation at its core, maintain stability and unimpeded global industrial and supply chains, and jointly build an open world economy. It is hoped that Spain will play a constructive role in promoting China-EU cooperation.

As part of a regional tour, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on European Affairs Wu Hongbo recently visited Albania, where he met with Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani on July 1st.

Wu spoke highly of China-Albania traditional friendship, saying that China will not forget its old friends and is ready to continue to carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, consolidate friendship and deepen cooperation with Albania, and take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year as an opportunity to push for new progress in China-Albania relations in the new era.

Although the relations between the two countries soured in the second half of the 1970s, for a considerable period the erstwhile People’s Socialist Republic of Albania (PSRA) was China’s closest political and ideological ally.

Prime Minister Edi Rama also leads the Socialist Party of Albania, the principal descendant of the former Party of Labour of Albania, which led the building of socialism in that country, although the party has long since abandoned Marxism. 

The following article was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Following his state visits to France and Serbia, Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his European tour in Hungary, arriving in the central European country in the evening of May 8 and returning to Beijing on May 10. He previously visited Hungary 15 years ago.

Coinciding with his arrival, President Xi published an article in the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet. He wrote:

“This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Hungary diplomatic relations. The bilateral relationship has since been developing and growing steadily and soundly with tangible results achieved in all fields. We respect and treat each other as equals, and pursue mutually beneficial cooperation. We see each other as a priority partner of cooperation. We have gone through hardships together and defied power politics together amid volatile international situations. We have found our respective path for sovereign states to independently conduct friendly exchanges with other countries… We have kept our original aspiration for friendship in mind since the establishment of diplomatic ties… We have shown understanding and provided support to each other on issues that bear on our respective core interests and are of major concern to us.”

Regarding current cooperation, he observed that, “focusing  on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, our two countries are strengthening synergy in development strategies and deepening results-oriented cooperation in such areas as investment, infrastructure, finance, new energy, and telecommunication technology.

“We will work with Hungary to forge greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Hungary’s Eastern Opening strategy, and accelerate the construction of the Budapest-Belgrade railway link and other significant cooperation projects… We will strengthen cooperation with Hungary in clean energy, artificial intelligence, digital economy, green development, and other emerging areas, foster new quality productive forces, and serve our respective high-quality development.

“China is willing to expand with Hungary exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, tourism, sport, youth, the media and at the subnational level, support the teaching of each other’s languages, make full use of cultural centres, and encourage more communication and interaction between peoples and between institutions.”

Regarding the European context, Xi noted that, “Recently, there are signs of stability for the better in China-Europe relations. As comprehensive strategic partners, China and Europe have a broad range of shared interests. Their relationship is more cooperative than competitive and features more consensus than differences… We are ready to work with Hungary to deepen and substantiate China’s cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries and to ensure steady and sustained growth of China-Europe relations.”

In his arrival statement at Budapest Airport, Xi said that, “China and Hungary are good friends and good partners of mutual trust. In 1949, Hungary was one of the first countries to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. In 2004, we decided to forge a friendly and cooperative partnership. In 2017, the bilateral relationship was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership, upgrading and speeding up the mutually beneficial cooperation and strengthening the popular support for traditional China-Hungary friendship.”

Meeting with Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok on May 9, Xi insisted that China-Hungary friendship from generation to generation does not target any third party, nor should it be dictated by any third party.

It is hoped that Hungary will take the opportunity of taking on the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of this year to promote the steady and sound development of China-EU relations.

For his part, President Sulyok thanked Xi for proposing the Belt and Road Initiative, saying that Hungary has benefited a lot from infrastructure connectivity and other cooperation.

The Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilisation Initiative proposed by Xi, which call for strengthening international dialogue and cooperation, are crucial for tackling various challenges facing the world and preventing bloc confrontation, he said, adding that the Hungarian side highly appreciates those initiatives.

Noting that China has advanced technology and experience in green transformation and clean energy, he said more Chinese enterprises are welcome to invest and conduct cooperation in Hungary.

Meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, China and Hungary decided to elevate bilateral relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era.

The two sides should continue to be good friends of mutual trust and assistance, and good partners of win-win cooperation, Xi said, calling on the two countries to take the establishment of the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era as an opportunity to inject new and strong impetus into bilateral cooperation and create a better future for the two peoples.

Following their talks, the two sides issued a joint statement. It noted that they, “always respect and treat each other equally, and set a good example of mutually beneficial pragmatic cooperation.”

Hungary respects the great achievements that China has scored in economic and social development, and hopes that the Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, will build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects, achieve the Second Centenary Goal and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernisation. China commends Hungary’s peaceful, open and pragmatic foreign policy and its positive role in promoting regional stability and common prosperity of Europe.

The Hungarian government remains firm in adhering to the one-China principle, and reaffirms that there is but one China in the world, that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing China. Hungary opposes all forms of separatist activities aimed at breaking the unity of China. 

The Hungarian side appreciates the positive role that Chinese enterprises have played in the national development of Hungary, welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Hungary, and is willing to foster a favourable investment and business environment for them. The two sides acknowledge that Hungary has favoirable endowments to provide a meeting point for Eastern and Western economies and technologies. The Hungary-Serbia Railway is a landmark project under Belt and Road cooperation, and also a flagship project of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries. The two sides are willing to actively promote the construction of the Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway, and jointly promote high-level connectivity in Central and Eastern Europe.

The two sides spoke highly of the development of the China-Europe Railway Express between China and Hungary, and agreed to establish an inter-governmental cooperation mechanism on the China-Europe Railway Express, promote infrastructure connectivity, and jointly take practical measures to ensure the security of the transport routes and improve the quality and efficiency of the China-Europe Railway Express, so as to provide important support for deepening economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Following this, the two leaders met the press and Xi Jinping noted that: “China values its comprehensive strategic partnership with the European Union (EU), and views Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world and a key partner in China’s bid to advance Chinese modernisation. China supports Hungary in playing a bigger role in the EU and promoting greater progress in China-EU relations.”

On May 10, Prime Minister Orbán and his wife hosted a farewell event for President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan. Overlooking the city of Budapest, with a view of both sides of the River Danube, Orbán briefed Xi on the history, development, transformation and future plans of the city, noting that Chinese enterprises have made significant contributions to Hungary’s economic development and urban construction, and many Chinese-built projects have become flagship projects of bilateral cooperation and symbols of friendship.

China leads the world in many technological sectors, and Hungary looks forward to more cooperation with China and importing more advanced technologies from China to benefit Hungary’s national development and people’s livelihood.

Xi briefed Orbán on the century-old history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the important philosophies of party management and state governance, pointing out that the CPC has grown from a small party with only a few dozen members to a large one with more than 98 million members, and has withstood many severe tests, leading China to achieve today’s achievements.

The CPC is confident in continuing to overcome various risks and challenges on the road ahead and maintain China’s long-term stability and development, Xi said, noting this will not only enable the Chinese people to have better lives but also make a greater contribution to world peace and development.

Analysing the significance of the visit, the Global Times newspaper wrote that: “Both Chinese and Hungarian experts believe mutual respect and a cooperative approach with no ideological strings attached have played decisive roles in bilateral relations.

“On world affairs, China and Hungary often share similar stances. Despite being an EU member state and a NATO member, Hungary has remained committed to not sending any weapons to Ukraine. 

“In recent years, Hungary has become a major logistics hub for China-Europe trade. Hungary is also Europe’s electric vehicle hub ─ Chinese EV maker BYD announced in late 2023 that it will build its first European electric vehicle production base in Hungary and the plant will produce EVs and plug-in hybrids for the Europe market. 

“On several occasions, Hungary has stood aside from or opposed EU positions against China. For instance, in 2021, Hungary blocked an EU statement criticising China’s National Security Law for Hong Kong.”

Sun Keqin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), noted that: “”Hungary is special among the EU. It does not oppose the bloc every time when it comes to China-related issues, but it has played a special role in China-Europe relations. Hungary is a partner China should seriously cooperate with.”

On July 1, Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto believes Hungary can use the opportunity to influence the EU’s policy toward China.

“We will be able to share with our European colleagues in a very credible manner how helpful, how useful and how profitable it can be to work together with China,” Szijjarto told the Global Times in an interview.

Prior to Xi’s visit, Foreign Minister Szijjarto visited China. Meeting his counterpart on April 24, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China appreciates Hungary’s determination to deepen cooperation with China despite interference and pressure, adding that the fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Hungary in various fields not only benefits the two peoples, but also strongly proves that China is an opportunity rather than a challenge, a partner rather than an opponent to Europe.

Noting that Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of this year, Wang said it is hoped that Hungary will promote the EU’s rational and friendly view of China’s development, pursue a more active and pragmatic policy towards China, strengthen strategic communication between China and Europe, and promote the sustained, stable and healthy development of China-EU relations.

Hungary is opposed to “decoupling and breaking the chain,” and always believes that viewing China as a threat will only mean missing opportunities, and treating China as a partner is the right choice, Szijjarto said.

Hungary is willing to promote the construction of key projects under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, continuously deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation between Hungary and China in various fields, push bilateral relations to a new level and promote the steady and sound development of EU-China relations, he added.

The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and by the Xinhua News Agency and Global Times.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Serbia from May 7-8, 2024, as the second leg of his European tour, which also took him first to France and subsequently to Hungary. His last visit to Serbia was in 2016.

Reporting his arrival on the evening of May 7, Xinhua News Agency reported that the “Serbian Air Force sent two fighter jets to escort Xi’s plane after it entered the country’s airspace. The Chinese president was warmly welcomed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his wife, Tamara Vučić at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Serbian children presented flowers to Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, and waved the national flags of China and Serbia. Serbian people dressed in national costumes sang and danced to welcome them.”

In an arrival statement, President Xi said that China and Serbia enjoy profound traditional friendship.

“Our bilateral relationship has stood the test of the changing international environment and become a fine example of state-to-state relations. Since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016, the bilateral relationship has realised leapfrog development, and achieved historic results. The two countries are bound by rock-solid political mutual trust and have seen fruitful results in high quality Belt and Road cooperation. 

“Our ironclad friendship has taken deeper roots in the heart of the two peoples. China and Serbia have rendered each other firm support on issues concerning our respective core interests and major concerns. We have jointly upheld international fairness and justice and contributed our share to promoting world peace and development. Cooperation between the two countries is rooted in the principle of equality and mutual benefits.”

The two heads of state held talks on the morning of May 8, in which they announced the decision to deepen and elevate China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership and build a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era. Prior to this, President Vučić held a grand welcoming ceremony for President Xi, during which some 15,000 Serbian people waved national flags of China and Serbia to express the warmest welcome to the Chinese head of state.

In the talks, President Xi said that the China-Serbia ironclad friendship is characterised by profound historical roots, solid political foundation, extensive common interests and strong popular support.  Actions speak louder than words. China will stand shoulder to shoulder with Serbia, share weal and woe like passengers in the same boat, carry forward the spirit of the ironclad friendship, maintain and grow their friendship, and jointly safeguard fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries.

President Xi stressed that Serbia is China’s first comprehensive strategic partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Under the new circumstances, Serbia has become the first European country to build with China a community with a shared future.  The China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era is an upgrade of the ironclad friendship between China and Serbia. It also represents their common values and objectives, namely, joint pursuit of development, win-win corporation and mutual success. These are the common aspirations of China, Serbia, and all countries that are committed to independence, peace, and development. 

China supports Serbia in upholding independence and pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and supports its efforts in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

With the China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement set to take effect on July 1 this year, the high-standard mutual opening up between China and Serbia will surely enter a new stage. China will continue to import more high-quality agricultural specialties from Serbia. It will invite 300 young Serbians to China on study and exchange programs in the next three years.

China will support 50 young Serbian scientists in taking part in scientific research exchanges in China in the next three years. It is ready to work with Serbia to strengthen cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and endeavour to ensure humanity properly develop and utilise AI.

It is important for China and Serbia to jointly reject hegemonism and power politics, and oppose bloc politics or bloc confrontation. The two sides should join hands to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, practice true multilateralism, and promote international fairness and justice.

President Vučić extended the warmest welcome to President Xi and noted that China is Serbia’s most sincere friend. Although Serbia is a small country, China always fully respects its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and provides valuable support for its economic and social development. President Xi is a great world leader. Under his strong leadership, China has made remarkable achievements. It has become a beacon of development and progress of the world and is playing an increasingly important leading role in international affairs. The Communist Party of China seeks to enhance the well-being of not only the Chinese people, but also people across the world. The Serbian people are full of gratitude and respect for China, especially for President Xi, and feel truly proud to be an ironclad friend to such a great nation. Serbia firmly supports China’s legitimate position on issues concerning its core interests including on Taiwan. There is but one China in the world. Serbia will, without hesitation, continue to unswervingly provide China with firm support.

After the talks, the two Presidents signed the Joint Statement on Deepening and Elevating the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Building a China-Serbia Community with a Shared Future in the New Era. They also witnessed the exchange of multiple cooperation documents, including on Belt and Road cooperation, green development, digital economy, e-commerce, infrastructure, economic and technical cooperation, information and communication, agri-food, and the media. 

The detailed joint statement signed by the two presidents commits both countries to the defence of their respective core interests.  

The Serbian side reiterated that the development of friendly relations with the People’s Republic of China is one of the main pillars of Serbia’s foreign policy. It reiterates its firm support for the one-China principle, that there is only one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China, that it opposes any form of “Taiwan independence” and that it opposes interference in China’s internal affairs, that it will not engage in any form of official exchanges with the Taiwan authorities, and that it firmly supports all efforts made by the Chinese government to realise national reunification.

Both sides oppose the imposition of any formula on the final status of Kosovo. All parties concerned should reach a mutually acceptable solution through dialogue and consultation within the framework of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. In doing so, Serbia’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity must be fully respected. China supports the efforts of the Republic of Serbia to find a compromise in a peaceful manner during negotiations with representatives of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo and calls for the implementation of all agreements reached at the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the effective protection of the religious and cultural heritage of the region. (Kosovo occupies a special place in the history of Serbia and in particular of the Serbian Orthodox church.)

Reflecting the global trend towards dedollarisation, the two sides are willing to strengthen financial cooperation, support the opening of the Serbian Renminbi (RMB) Clearing Bank as soon as possible, promote the use of local currency settlement in bilateral trade and investment, and encourage financial institutions of the two countries to provide financing support and financial services for trade and investment cooperation.

The two sides agreed that AI (artificial intelligence) should adhere to the principle of attaching equal importance to development and security, bridge the intelligence gap, jointly do a good job in risk prevention, and explore the formation of an international governance framework for AI with the United Nations as the main channel of communication. The two sides are willing to strengthen policy coordination in the field of artificial intelligence, establish relevant dialogue mechanisms, deepen relevant practical cooperation, and jointly promote artificial intelligence technologies. The Serbian side welcomes the Global AI Governance Initiative announced by President Xi Jinping as well as China’s efforts to strengthen the rights of developing countries in global AI governance.

Both sides agreed to jointly develop new productive forces in the light of local conditions, build high-tech industrial cooperation projects, and encourage and promote investment cooperation to this end. They agreed to deepen cooperation in the field of space science and technology. China welcomes the Serbian side to join the International Lunar Research Station.

They further stressed the importance of continuously deepening cooperation in science and technology innovation and will actively promote more practical results in the exchange of young scientists, poverty alleviation through science and technology, technology transfer, joint research, and joint construction of scientific research platforms, and welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Poverty Alleviation through Science and Technology. China welcomes more young Serbian scientists to engage in short-term scientific research in China.

Both countries believe that the Hungarian-Serbian railway modernisation project is of great significance to strengthening Serbian and regional connectivity and that it opens up new prospects for facilitating the flow of people and expanding commodity circulation and economic exchanges in the region. The two sides spoke highly of the achievements made in the construction of the Serbian section of the railway and will continue to work hard to promote the completion of the construction of the section on schedule and contribute to improving the level of regional connectivity.

Following the signing of the joint statement and the various agreements, the two leaders met the press. 

President Xi noted that in 2016, he paid a state visit to Serbia and experienced the warm hospitality of the Serbian leadership and people. He said that it is a fond memory he still cherishes today, and coming back after eight years, he is heartened to see that, under the leadership of President Vučić, Serbian economic and social development has gained a strong momentum, its national strength and international standing have risen markedly, and the people’s standard of living has kept increasing.

China supports Serbia in upholding its independence and following the development path that suits its own conditions. China also supports Serbia’s efforts to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Kosovo issue.

President Xi pointed out that a review of history shows that China-Serbia friendship is, “forged through our extraordinary fight together to promote world peace and development, and with the blood and lives of the two peoples. Looking to the future, the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era is a strategic choice made by the two sides. It aims to meet the aspirations of the Chinese and Serbian people for a better life and will be underpinned and sustained by their firm support and extensive participation.”

At the welcoming banquet hosted by President Vučić that followed, Xi Jinping noted that the Chinese people have always cherished a special bond of friendship with Serbia.

“The Yugoslav film The Bridge and the song Bella Ciao, which evoke strong patriotic and anti-fascist sentiments, have been immensely popular in China through the years and became my companion in my youthful days. Other household names in China include athletes Novak Djokovic and Nikola Jokic, and movie director Emir Kusturica.”

(Bella Ciao is originally an Italian song, but such is its popularity and fame in progressive circles that it was chosen as the theme song of The Bridge, a 1969 Yugoslav film depicting the heroic struggle of the communist-led partisans against the Nazi occupation. The film was imported into China, and dubbed into Chinese, in 1977, the year of President Tito’s state visit. Both the film and song became hugely popular in China.)

The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and by People’s Daily. The Joint Statement was published in Chinese. It has been machine translated and lightly edited by us.

As part of his May 5-10 state visits to three European countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping began a visit to Serbia on May 7, following the conclusion of his visit to France. It is his second state visit to the Balkan country, his previous one being in 2016. 

Coinciding with his arrival, the Serbian daily newspaper Politika published an article by Xi, hailing the “ironclad friendship” between the two countries and peoples. The Chinese President wrote:

“There has always been an affinity between Chinese and Serbian peoples despite the long distance between us. During the bitter Anti-Fascist War and our respective nation-building in the last century, the Chinese and Serbian peoples forged a strong friendship that extends through time and space… Whatever changes in the international landscape, China and Serbia remain true friends and good partners. Our ironclad friendship is ever-growing, setting a model for state-to-state and people-to-people interactions.”

Recalling how the two countries had come together and helped each other during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi states: “China provided assistance, prioritised the provision of multiple shipments of protective medical supplies, and sent medical experts to Serbia… Nongovernmental organisations in Serbia voluntarily donated masks and other supplies to the Chinese people. Our mutual support in challenging times testifies to our invaluable brotherly friendship.”

Xi also alluded to the attempts to permanently separate Serbia’s Kosovo region, and the pressures exerted on Serbia by certain powers regarding its external relations in particular, writing:

“We support Serbia’s efforts to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose any attempt by any forces to interfere in Serbia’s internal affairs.”

What makes Xi’s visit to Serbia particularly significant this time is that May 7, 2024, marks exactly a quarter century since US-led NATO forces bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing three journalists, during their illegal war against the then socialist Yugoslavia. In his article, Xi recalls this as follows:

“Our ironclad friendship has withstood the test of blood and fire, and shines even brighter in the new era… Twenty-five years ago today, NATO flagrantly bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese journalists – Ms. Shao Yunhuan, Mr. Xu Xinghu and his wife Zhu Ying. This we should never forget. The Chinese people cherish peace, but we will never allow such tragic history to repeat itself. The China-Serbia friendship, forged with the blood of our compatriots, will stay in the shared memory of the Chinese and Serbian peoples, and will inspire us to march forward with big strides.”

We reprint below the full text of President Xi’s article in Politika. It was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

In the first week of October, Minister Liu Jianchao of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, led a delegation to visit Iceland.

Meeting with Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir on October 7, Liu said that, despite different national conditions, the two countries have similar historical experiences, and the two peoples have an indomitable spirit of struggle. The Chinese side has always upheld the principles of mutual respect and equality among all countries regardless of their size, actively developed China-Iceland relations, and regarded Iceland as a trustworthy good friend.

Liu’s reference to similar historical experiences and an indomitable spirit of struggle is significant and apposite. Having been under Danish colonial rule for centuries, during which the people suffered from dire poverty and mass emigration, an independence movement emerged from the 1850s onwards. Iceland finally won national independence in 1944.

Between 1958-61, 1972-73 and 1975-76, Iceland fought the so-called ‘cod wars’ against Britain, supported by West Germany, regarding the extension of its territorial waters and fishing rights in the North Atlantic, on which the country’s economy and diet were both heavily dependent. Iceland emerged victorious against British imperialism in all these disputes, a remarkable victory for a small country whose population (2023 figure) is just 375,000. Iceland’s victories also contributed to the democratisation of the international law of the sea and helped numerous countries of the Global South to enhance their sovereignty over their territorial waters and marine resources.

From 2009-2011, the Icelandic people waged the ‘pots and pans revolution’ in response to the devastating impact of the global financial crisis on their country, which was exacerbated by the pursuit of short-sighted neoliberal policies in the preceding years.

Turning to the environment, Liu went on to say that China tries to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, and is willing to deepen cooperation with the Icelandic side in climate change, green energy, sustainable development and other aspects.

Iceland is a world leader in geothermal energy and fighting the looming threat of climate catastrophe and promoting sustainable development was a main theme of Liu’s visit.

Gylfadóttir said that the Icelandic side attaches great importance to developing relations with China. Iceland is the first European country to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China and the first Western European country to recognise China’s market economy status. Both countries have great cooperation potential in energy transition, climate change and other aspects. It is hoped that both sides will strengthen exchanges, share respective successful experiences, and help the international community better respond to global challenges.

The previous day, Liu met with Birgir Ármannsson, Speaker of Iceland’s Parliament, and had exchanges with members of parliament from different political parties, including the Independence Party, Left-Green Movement, Social Democratic Alliance, Pirate Party, and People’s Party. The present Icelandic government is a three-party coalition formed by the Independence Party, Progressive Party and Left-Green Movement.

China’s development, Liu said, will provide broad development space for China-Iceland cooperation and new opportunities for the growth of all countries. The Chinese side is willing to strengthen cooperation with the Icelandic side in economy, trade, geothermal, tourism, communication, and cooperation at local level. Iceland is a major country of clean energy. It is hoped that the two sides will strengthen cooperation in ecological civilisation construction and jointly make the Earth a place where people and nature can coexist in harmony and economy and environment can advance in parallel.

The members of Iceland’s parliament happily recalled their visits to China and the stories of exchanges with China. They spoke highly of the great development achievements the Chinese people have made under the leadership of the CPC. They expected to intensify mutual visits and exchanges and strengthen practical cooperation to benefit the two peoples. In recent years, extreme climate events have occurred frequently, posing severe challenges to human survival and development. The Icelandic side spoke highly of the Chinese side’s important contributions to global sustainable development and expressed the willingness to deepen cooperation with China in fields such as geothermal and climate change based on existing cooperation, benefit more developing countries and contribute to the protection of the Earth, the homeland for humanity.

The same day, Liu also met with Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former President of Iceland and Chairman of the Arctic Circle. Describing Grímsson as a friend of China, Liu said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iceland more than 50 years ago, the two sides have always carried out practical cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results, becoming a model for win-win cooperation between countries with different social systems, histories, and cultures. He thanked the Icelandic side for supporting China’s participation in Arctic affairs and expressed the willingness to strengthen Arctic cooperation and coordination in international affairs, promote the improvement of global governance, as well as the healthy and stable development of China-Iceland relations.

Grímsson said: “I am willing to actively promote Iceland-China friendship and enhance the understanding of China among people of all walks of life in Iceland. China has huge development potential… Last month, I visited China to participate in the 2023 World Geothermal Congress in Beijing. Many standards of the global geothermal industry were released for the first time during the conference. The world today is facing severe challenges such as climate change. Energy transformation is the key to solving this problem. China can play a leading role in the world in this regard.”

On his way to Iceland, Liu made a stopover in Copenhagen Airport, where he met with Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Liu said, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Denmark comprehensive strategic partnership. The two sides released a Green Joint Work Programme recently, injecting new impetus into the mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries. We look forward to further strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in economy, trade, environmental protection, climate change, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

China, he added, will unswervingly promote high-level opening up to the outside world, constantly provide impetus for world economic recovery and growth, and provide mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities for investors from various countries, including Denmark. Trends such as deglobalisation, severing supply chains, and de-risking are not in line with the trend of the times. De-risking advocated by some in fact throws away opportunities and cooperation and will ultimately harm the world economy and the interests of all countries. Under the current situation, the international community should work together to promote world economic recovery and prosperity.

Jeppe said, the Green Joint Work Programme released by the two sides has built a new platform for further cooperation between the two countries. It is hoped that both sides will fully tap into the huge opportunities brought by green transformation and promote greater development of Denmark-China relations.

He added that Denmark opposes “decoupling” from China, but went on to disingenuously claim, quite possibly reflecting the pressures being brought to bear on relatively small European countries by US and EU imperialism, that “de-risking” is not aimed at China but aims to ensure the security of the supply chain.

He also said that China has made rapid progress in green energy and other fields and has already provided technologies and solutions for the world. China is an important force in the global response to climate change, he added.

The following articles were originally published on the website of the CPC International Department.