Vucic: No one will break steely Sino-Serbian friendship

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday no one would be able to break the steely Sino-Serbian friendship, and thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for the fact China had always stood with Serbia in difficult times.

Serbia will always stand with China, Vucic said after an exchange of documents on bilateral cooperation.

"China has never looked away from Serbia, they were also with us 25 years ago (during the 1999 NATO bombing)," Vucic said.

"You opened the windows of hope to us. Thank you endlessly, you are always welcome in your other home," Vucic told Xi.

He said Xi had confirmed China would not only take part in EXPO 2027 but use its knowledge and experience to help Serbia organise the event and present itself in the best possible light.

He said Serbia had bought 14 trains from China but that there was an intent to manufacture trains in Serbia.

Vucic also said negotiations about launching a flying taxi service in Serbia in 2027 had begun with a renowned Chinese company he did not want to name, and that Serbia was also in talks with electric car manufacturers.

He thanked Xi for a 26 mln euro donation in support of Serbia's further development.

"We see opportunities for progress in all fields of social life, from culture and sports to finances, and we can do much in those fields. With assistance from a Chinese company, all our dreams about a Belgrade-Budapest (high-speed) rail line will come true by the end of the year. The Hungarians have convinced us they will finish their stretch by 2026," he said, adding that his discussions with Xi had also addressed cooperation with other countries, including Hungary and the UAE.

"We have exceptional cooperation in security and defence and it will be continued," Vucic said, adding that he hoped cooperation in energy and environmental protection would be deepened.

"We also discussed new flights to Shanghai and Guangzhou. Those are big and important cities and we will also retain the flights to Beijing. We also talked about Chinese companies, the steel mill, advancement of tourism," Vucic said, adding that the situations in Ukraine and Gaza had been discussed as well.