The head of a leading Serbian newspaper has said it is a great honor to publish a signed article by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived in Belgrade on Tuesday to begin a state visit, with the media organization providing comprehensive coverage of Xi's trip to the country.
The article titled "May the Light of Our Ironclad Friendship Shine on the Path of China-Serbia Cooperation" was published in the Serbian daily publication Politika on Tuesday to coincide with the Chinese president's arrival.
Marko Albunovic, the acting editor-in-chief of the paper which is based in the capital Belgrade, said that there is much attention being placed on Xi's visit, his first trip to Serbia for nearly eight years.
"The feeling for having this article in our newspaper is fantastic. Prestige, and a feeling of a great trust from the Chinese embassy. This is not the first time that Politika has published an article by the Chinese president. A similar thing happened in 2016, therefore, this is a greater honor. A large number of domestic and international media are accredited to cover today's and tomorrow's visit of the Chinese president. Accordingly we have also accredited a large number of journalists and we will follow the visit in real time on our website and, in the printed edition, we will provide a deeper analysis of what happened and the agreements that will be signed," he said.
Albunovic hopes that Xi's visit to the eastern European country will help foster deeper friendships between the two peoples while unlocking a multitude of prospects for bilateral cooperation.
"I expect to deepen the existing friendship between the Serbian and Chinese people, which was strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic. And, of course, I expect an economic impact from this visit, as the Expo 2027 [in Belgrade] is approaching, as well as things related to the Belt and Road Initiative," he said.
Xi's state visit to Serbia is the second leg of his current three-nation European tour from May 5 to 10, after he wrapped up a visit to France earlier on Tuesday. After concluding his stay in Serbia, he will later head to Hungary.
Politika editor expresses great honor in publishing Xi's signed article
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Saturday in Dushanbe, with both sides pledging to expand bilateral cooperation in various areas.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings and good wishes to Rahmon.
Wang noted that China and Tajikistan, linked by mountains and rivers, have cultivated a profound traditional friendship. The two sides have always respected each other, and treated each other as equals, extended mutual support at critical moments.
In May last year, Rahmon attended the China-Central Asia Summit and paid a state visit to China, during which the two heads of state jointly announced the building of a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future featuring everlasting friendship, solidarity and mutual benefit.
This set a clear goal for the development of bilateral relations and sent a positive signal to the two peoples and the world, said Wang.
China will continue to firmly support Tajikistan in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and firmly oppose external interference in Tajikistan's internal affairs, said Wang, stressing that no matter how the international situation changes, China will always be Tajikistan's trustworthy friend and partner.
For his part, Rahmon asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings to Xi.
He said that during his visit to China last year, he and Xi had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral cooperation and reached a series of consensuses.
With the joint efforts of the two sides, these consensuses are being implemented and important results have been achieved in cooperation in various fields, he said.
Rahmon stressed that promoting relations with China is a priority of Tajikistan's foreign policy. The Tajik side firmly upholds the one-China principle and holds that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
Tajikistan, Rahmon said, hopes to keep close high-level exchanges with China, strengthen cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, energy, minerals, transportation, agriculture, green industry and artificial intelligence, jointly combat the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and constantly expand and strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between Tajikistan and China.
The Tajik president noted that China plays an important role in international and regional affairs, and Tajikistan is willing to closely coordinate with China and support each other on multilateral platforms.
Wang said that China firmly supports the four development strategies of energy, transportation, food and industrialization proposed by the Tajik president, attaches importance to Tajikistan's cooperation needs, and is committed to expanding cooperation in emerging industries and helping Tajikistan improve economic development.
China is willing to deepen security cooperation with Tajikistan and resolutely combat all forms of terrorism, said Wang, adding that the two sides can strengthen cooperation in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the China-Central Asia mechanism, safeguard the common interests of the two countries and other developing countries, and make due contributions to the prosperity and stability of the region and the world at large.
During his visit, Wang also held talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Sunday.
China, Tajikistan vow to elevate cooperation
