23 October 2023

Ambassador of China pays introductory call to Council President Nikolić

President of the National Council for Coordination of Cooperation with the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China Tomislav Nikolić met today His Excellency Li Ming, the newly appointed Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in Belgrade.

The President of the National Council welcomed the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Serbia, underlining that today’s friendship between the peoples of Serbia and China is very close, and that the Belt and Road initiative has been very instrumental in the progress of our relations over the past 10 years. “Many projects have been implemented in Serbia, the most important ones being the revitalization of the Bor mine and the Smederevo Steelworks. I am looking forward to the implementation of new common projects contributing to the economic betterment of our peoples. You have come to Serbia, a country which has forged stable relations with China, and it is incumbent upon you to take them to yet another level,” Council President Tomislav Nikolić told China’s Ambassador Li Ming.

Ambassador Li Ming conveyed to the Council President the greetings of President Xi Jinping, who emphasized that his visit to Serbia during Mr. Nikolić’s presidency had remained deeply etched in his memory, and that the firm foundations of Sino-Serbian bilateral relations had been laid at the time.

Ambassador Li Ming underscored that his brief stay in Serbia had assured him of China and Serbia’s joint commitment to many common principles and the subscription to the community of shared future. “China understands and respects the efforts of Serbia aimed at the preservation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Moreover, the Chinese side is grateful to the Government of Serbia and its people for adhering to the One-China policy. The extraordinary success of the recently held Belt and Road Forum has demonstrated that China has many friends around the world, including Serbia. Our two countries should further deepen their cooperation, as there are more and more private companies from China with an expressed interest in doing business in Serbia. A huge challenge is ahead of us – to further develop our relations on the back of the successful cooperation so far,” Ambassador Li Ming highlighted.