Xi Jinping Arrived In Belgrade On Tuesday Evening With A Special Plane On A State Visit To Serbia

Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade on a special plane, on the evening of May 7, to pay a state visit, reports Chinese public television CCTV.

An AFP photographer saw the plane land in Belgrade.

The Chinese leader is in Europe from May 5-10 on a tour that includes France, Serbia and Hungary

Observers cited by Reuters say Xi’s choice of Serbia and Hungary was designed to bring two European countries that are pro-Russia and are big beneficiaries of Chinese investment, including financial aid for a delayed railway project that should to link their capitals.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucici said before the arrival of the Chinese leader that he was honored by Xi’s visit and that he expected a free trade agreement between the two countries, signed in October last year, to enter into force on July 1.

Chinese analysts say Xi could use his stopover in Belgrade, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of NATO’s bombing of the Chinese embassy in that country, to highlight China’s anti-NATO agenda.

Follow us on Google News