Macut thanks China for principled position on Kosovo-Metohija

SHANGHAI - Serbia and China maintain a long-standing partnership and friendship based on respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, Serbian PM Djuro Macut said in Shanghai on Tuesday, and thanked China for its principled stance regarding the issue of Kosovo-Metohija.

In a lecture at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), titled The Geopolitical Position of Serbia and Relations between Serbia and the People's Republic of China, Macut said ties between the two countries were strong and long-lasting and that "we are now building a new era of cooperation in the fields of the economy, education and culture."

He explained that the strategic partnership also included close relations between the presidents of the two countries as President Xi Jinping had visited Belgrade twice and President Aleksandar Vucic had visited China several times, most recently in September, on the anniversary of the victory over fascism in WWII.

"China respects Serbia on the issue of Kosovo-Metohija and thus protects the territorial integrity of our state. China has a friend in us that supports the One China policy when it comes to Taiwan and the principle of 'one country, two systems' when it comes to Hong Kong and Macau," a government statement quoted Macut as saying.

"As for the economy, he stated that there is excellent bilateral cooperation and that the main projects are related to infrastructure and energy, emphasising that China is the largest investor in Serbia."

Macut noted that the relations between the two countries were very good thanks to the implementation of numerous large projects, mainly related to road infrastructure, and that there was also good cooperation in the field of mining and metallurgy.

China is Serbia's second largest trading partner and also its fourth most important source of foreign tourists, Macut said.

He said the establishment of direct flights between Belgrade and Shanghai represented a new step in connecting the two states and the two peoples, noting that Serbia had direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"Exports of goods and services from Serbia to China amounted to approximately 2.2 bln dollars in the period from January to August this year. In addition, Chinese companies employ almost 41,500 workers in Serbia, Macut specified.

He stressed that Serbia is one of the leading countries in Central and Southeastern Europe in terms of the number of completed and planned infrastructure projects with China, recalling that one of them is the high-speed railway from Belgrade to Subotica, which will be extended to Budapest in the next phase, in cooperation with Hungary.

In his address, the Prime Minister also referred to the situation in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija, emphasising that the Serb community is under constant pressure.

It is of utmost importance for us to ensure the survival of the Serb community, and therefore it is important to continue the dialogue under the auspices of the European Union. Unfortunately, Pristina has been refusing to fulfil the obligations it has undertaken within the framework of the dialogue for more than a decade, he said.

At the same time, Macut recalled that Belgrade will host the entire world in 2027 during the international exhibition EXPO 2027, stating that more than 120 countries have confirmed their participation, including China, which will be another additional point to improve cooperation between the two countries," the statement also said.

Before the lecture, Macut also met with SJTU President Ding Kuiling.