“Taiwan is China”: Serbian President’s message to Xi Jinping, received as a hero in Belgrade – VIDEO

Chinese President Xi Jinping was received in Belgrade on Wednesday by his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, who declared that the friendship between their countries is “invincible” and that Taiwan is part of China, reports the AFP agency, quoted by Agerpres.

China has invested billions of euros in Serbia and the Balkans, especially in the mining and manufacturing sectors. As a sign of the solidity of relations, Beijing and Belgrade signed a free trade agreement last year.

Accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, Xi Jinping was received on Wednesday by Aleksandar Vucic on the red carpet, in front of the main government buildings, to the sound of a military fanfare. The Chinese president was greeted with the national anthem of his country, before shaking hands with several Serbian officials.

“We have a clear and simple position regarding China’s territorial integrity,” Vucic told a crowd gathered in front of the government building.

“Yes, Taiwan is China,” Vucic emphasized, according to Serbian state TV RTS.

This statement probably delighted Xi Jinping, given that China claims the island with 23 million inhabitants, which it considers part of its national territory. The Chinese president arrived in Belgrade late Tuesday evening, after a state visit to France.

Apart from France, the other two countries chosen by Xi Jinping for his first trip to Europe after 2019 – Serbia, then Hungary, where he will travel on Wednesday evening – are considered the friendliest to Russia and China on the European continent.

The Serbian Minister of Finance, Sinisa Mali, told the RTS public channel that Wednesday’s talks will focus on a “big project”, without giving any other details.

The Chinese president arrived in Belgrade on a symbolic date

Xi Jinping’s visit to Belgrade coincides with the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy, ​​which killed three, on May 7, 1999.

The embassy was hit during a months-long NATO bombing campaign against Serbian targets during the Kosovo war.

Later, the US apologized, saying that outdated maps caused the pilot of the incriminated plane to miss the target. Returning to this event in an article published on Tuesday in the Serbian daily Politika, Xi Jinping wrote that NATO “shamelessly bombed” the Chinese embassy.

“The Chinese people value peace, but they will never allow the tragedy of history to repeat itself,” Xi stressed, praising the “invincible friendship” between China and Serbia.