Li: Vucic, Xi have laid groundwork for new era of Sino-Serbian cooperation

BELGRADE - Chinese Communist Party official Li Xiaoxin, who is heading a Chinese delegation visiting Serbia, on Monday highlighted the significance of building a Serbia-China community for a shared future and a new era of bilateral cooperation, for which the groundwork was laid by Presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping during Xi's visit to Serbia in May.

Li is a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee and heads the State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform.

At a Belgrade conference on the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Li stressed China's determination to continue on the path of reforms, modernisation and progress with an unabated intensity in all spheres, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) said in a statement.

"Serbia has become the first European country to build a community for a shared future in a new era with the People's Republic of China. Our exchange and cooperation in all fields is intensive, and our two countries are supporting each other on issues of key interest," Li said.

SNS Presidency member Petar Petkovic said the Chinese delegation's visit continued to strengthen a proven friendship characterised by the overall objectives of building an order based on consistent respect of international law and equal opportunities for all.

"The Serbian and the Chinese leaderships are both fully committed to care for progress, development and well-being of our nations as the most significant task, as well as to the moral obligation naturally put before us," Petkovic added.

"We are very grateful to our Chinese friends for the consistent support, above all, on the issue of our southern province of Kosovo-Metohija, and the consistent respect of the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia. In the same way, the Republic of Serbia will continue to support, consistently and strongly, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of PR China also when it comes to the One China policy," Petkovic said.