Serbia and China Sign Agreement for ‘Joint Future’ in Historic Deal

Serbia and China have signed an agreement to build a ‘joint future’. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced this at a press conference in Belgrade.

According to the heads of state, the countries will engage in a “deeper, more comprehensive and more strategic partnership” in the coming years. Vucic and Xi agreed, among other things, that import tariffs on almost all goods from Serbia to China will be raised within five years. It is unclear exactly what the countries have agreed to.

“This is the highest type of cooperation possible between two countries,” said Vucic at the press conference. It is the first European country to sign such an agreement with China.

Serbia was Xi’s second stop on his first trip to Europe in five years. Earlier this week he visited France. In the Serbian capital Belgrade, the Chinese president was received at the Serbian Palace. Thousands of Serbs attended the arrival, waving Chinese and Serbian flags.

At the beginning of the consultations with Vucic, Xi said that he had seen with his own eyes that “the people of Serbia look at the Chinese as their best friends. This friendship is a two-way street, he impressed me. “

Serbia has cooperated with China before. For example, an economic agreement was concluded with the Asian country in 2016. China has since invested millions in Serbia’s infrastructure and mining. The countries also signed a trade agreement last year.

Serbia has been a candidate country for the European Union since 2012. The agreements with China contradict the membership of that candidate. The EU has not yet responded to the latest agreement between China and Serbia.

Apart from Serbia, China has also invested heavily in Hungary’s infrastructure and industry. That country is also Xi’s next stop in Europe. Critics fear that China is trying to gain more influence in Europe through countries such as Serbia and Hungary.