Stronger partnership with Serbia pledged

President Xi Jinping called on Thursday for closer cooperation between China and Serbia in areas of multilateral interests, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding national interests, upholding international fairness and justice, and firmly defending the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

China and Serbia made great sacrifices and important contributions toward the victory over fascism in the Asian and European battlefields of World War II respectively, Xi said.

Highlighting the current complex and volatile international landscape, Xi stressed that China and Serbia should promote a correct understanding of the history of World War II and safeguard the results of the anti-fascist victory.

Xi said that Serbia was the first European country to jointly build a community with a shared future in the new era with China, reflecting the special and high-level nature of bilateral relations. He added that as a staunch friend, China supports Serbia in upholding its national interests and social stability while pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions.

Xi also called for strengthened strategic alignment between the two countries, making full use of the free trade agreement and facilitation arrangements such as mutual visa exemption and direct flights.

Vucic expressed Serbia's full support for the Global Governance Initiative put forward by Xi, noting that its principles of adhering to sovereign equality and advocating a people-centered approach are of great significance to reforming and improving the global governance system.

Contact the writer at zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn.