On the evening of the 7th local time, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade by special plane for a state visit to Serbia at the invitation of Serbian President Vučić. This is Xi Jinping's second visit to Serbia in eight years.
After Xi Jinping's special plane entered Serbian airspace, two Serbian air force fighters took to the air to escort him. The plane arrived at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla International Airport that night.
As the hatch opened, Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan stepped out of the cabin and waved to the scene.
The two walked down the ramp hand in hand, and were warmly greeted by Serbian President Vučić and his wife, Chairman of the China Cooperation Committee and former President Nikolic and his wife, Speaker of Parliament Brnabić, Prime Minister Vucevic and Foreign Minister Čerich.
Vučić held a unique welcoming ceremony for Xi Jinping at the airport. Serbian children presented flowers to Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan, waved the national flags of China and Serbia, and the Serbian people dressed in national costumes sang and danced to warmly welcome them.
Xi Jinping delivered a written speech. Xi Jinping pointed out that the traditional friendship between China and Cyprus is deep, and the relations between the two countries have withstood the test of changes in the international situation and set an example of state-to-state relations. The political mutual trust between the two countries is as solid as a rock, the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has yielded fruitful results, people-to-people exchanges have become closer, and the iron-clad friendship has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. China-Cyprus cooperation is based on equality and mutual benefit, which is in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of both countries. China is ready to work with the Cypriot side to stay true to our original aspirations and move forward hand in hand, so as to create a new situation of cooperation with stronger momentum, wider fields and higher quality. He looked forward to taking this visit as an opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views with President Vucic on bilateral relations and other issues of common concern, to discuss friendship, discuss cooperation, and seek common development, and to draw up a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations. It is believed that this visit will surely achieve fruitful results and write a new chapter in the development of Sino-Cypriot relations.
The Serbian people welcomed Xi Jinping's visit
Eight years have passed since Chinese President Xi Jinping's last state visit to Serbia, and all walks of life in Serbia have paid great attention to and looked forward to Xi Jinping's visit again. In the streets and alleys, the national flags of the two countries, symbolizing the friendship between China and Serbia, as well as banners with the contents of welcoming dear Chinese friends, can be seen everywhere, conveying the expectations of the Serbian people for the arrival of this historical moment.
The local population has high hopes for Xi Jinping's arrival. They believe that Xi Jinping's visit will further promote the development of friendly relations between China and Cyprus, deepen the friendship between the two peoples, and promote new breakthroughs in bilateral cooperation. The Serbian people generally expect that this visit will inject new impetus into the relations between the two countries and open up new space for the expansion of bilateral cooperation.
Serbian people:
I think the relationship between China and Serbia is very important for a small country like Serbia. I extend my best wishes to President Xi Jinping, who is a true friend of Serbia.
Serbian people:
It's been fantastic for us and I think we're all happy. I wish him a pleasant stay here. I hope that this visit will be fruitful and beneficial to both the Cypriot side and the Chinese side.
Chinese Tourists:
I'm really looking forward to it, because from my point of view, as soon as I arrived in Serbia by car, I found that this country is so welcoming to us Chinese, and I have been here for several days. It's so welcoming, whether it's a variety of habits or not, it's more friendly with us.
Serbia is China's first comprehensive strategic partner in Central and Eastern Europe, and the outside world often uses the term "iron-clad friendship" to describe the good relations between China and Serbia. It is believed that President Xi Jinping's visit to Serbia for the first time in eight years will be an important milestone in the upgrading of China-Serbia relations.
Source: Phoenix Satellite TV Information Channel
Editor: Mu Mu