It is a visit in the form of a snub to Western Europe. After a detour through Paris on May 6 and 7, the Chinese president continued his tour of the Old Continent in Serbia this Wednesday. For Xi Jinping, it was a gesture of friendship to his fifteen-year-old ally. It was therefore with open arms that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic welcomed his Chinese counterpart, who came to deepen economic and political ties with the country. China has already invested billions of euros in Serbia and the Balkans, particularly in the mining and manufacturing sectors. While numerous investments in the framework of the new Silk Roads are accumulating, Beijing and Belgrade signed a free trade agreement last year. Result: China is Serbia’s second supplier, just behind Germany, with a market share of 12% last year, remind our colleagues Les Échos.
Accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, Xi Jinping was received by Aleksandar Vucic on a red carpet outside the main government buildings in Belgrade. In the background: the military fanfare and the Chinese national anthem. The two leaders greeted, from a balcony, a crowd of several thousand enthusiastic people, some waving Chinese flags, according to images from Serbian state television RTS.
Aleksandar Vucic welcomed Xi Jinping and called him “a friend of Serbia.” “The respect and love that he will find here, in our Serbia, he will not find anywhere else,” chanted Aleksandar Vucic, as an allusion to the protectionist position of Western European countries. Addressing the crowd, the Serbian president then said: “We have a clear and simple position regarding the territorial integrity of China. Yes, Taiwan is China.”
“A strong feeling of friendship”
Comments which seemed to delight Xi Jinping, because most European leaders, even if their countries do not recognize Taiwan, usually refrain from making similar remarks in such an assertive manner. China has in recent years stepped up pressure on Taiwan, an island it has failed to conquer since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
At the start of their bilateral meeting, Xi Jinping began with gentle words, telling Aleksandar Vucic that there was “a strong feeling of friendship” between their two countries. They then signed a declaration on consolidating their diplomatic ties and witnessed the presentation of various trade promises such as the purchase of Chinese trains, the opening of new air routes and increased imports of Serbian products. Beijing perceives Belgrade as a “hub” for its investments and its influence on the Old Continent. Speaking to the press, Xi Jinping again called on China and Serbia on Wednesday to “firmly support each other’s fundamental interests.”
For its part, Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2012, but its application is blocked since it refuses to recognize the independence of Kosovo. Hence her desire to look further east, where she receives support. “China supports Serbia […] in its efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity on the issue of Kosovo”, Xi Jinping underlined this Wednesday.
The Chinese head of state now expected in Hungary
Xi Jinping wanted to mark the occasion for his first trip to Europe since 2019. And the choice of Serbia can also be interpreted as a sign of distrust towards the West. Especially since the Chinese president’s visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the American bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, which left three people dead on May 7, 1999. The building was hit during the military campaign led by NATO. against Serbian targets during the Kosovo War. Returning to this event in an article published Tuesday, May 7, in the Serbian daily Politika, Xi Jinping wrote that NATO had “shamelessly bombed” the embassy and promised that his country “will never allow” this “tragedy ” reproduces itself.
“For Serbia, this is undoubtedly one of the most important visits,” Marko Tmusic, professor of political science at the University of Belgrade, told AFP. After Serbia, the Chinese head of state is expected Wednesday evening in Hungary, another country friendly to China, but also to Moscow. The opportunity to advance one’s pawns in Europe a little further.