Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, with both sides pledging to strengthen their ironclad friendship and deepen cooperation amid growing global uncertainties.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, first conveyed warm greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and commended Vucic for leading the Serbian people to uphold independence, oppose foreign interference and effectively safeguard national stability, dignity and overall development.
Under the strategic guidance of Xi and Vucic, the building of the China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era has made a good start, Wang said, recalling the two meetings between the two leaders last year when they had strategic communication, reached broad consensus and charted the course for bilateral relations.
China stands ready to work with Serbia to maintain close high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust and firmly support each other in safeguarding respective core interests, Wang said, calling for enhanced practical cooperation, including the smooth operation of the Hungary-Serbia railway, and maximizing the benefits of a bilateral free trade agreement.
Wang also urged both sides to carry forward the ironclad friendship between the two countries and open up new prospects for bilateral relations.
Vucic asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings to Xi. He recalled the successful visit by the Chinese president to Serbia in 2024, which gave a strong boost to bilateral ties, and thanked China for its support in safeguarding Serbia's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
China remains Serbia's true friend and partner in today's increasingly turbulent world, Vucic said, voicing his hope for elevating cooperation with China in political, economic and trade, technological, and cultural fields to a higher level.
Vucic reaffirmed Serbia's firm commitment to the one-China principle and its steadfast support for China's just position on achieving national reunification, pledging continued support on all issues concerning China's core interests.
China, Serbia vow to boost ties, deepen cooperation amid global uncertainties
China, Serbia vow to boost ties, deepen cooperation amid global uncertainties
China, Serbia vow to boost ties, deepen cooperation amid global uncertainties
China's first 500-kV cross-border alternating-current power interconnection project entered service Monday, creating the highest voltage grid tie between the two countries and advancing Belt and Road energy cooperation.
The project raises two-way power transfer capacity between the two countries from 50,000 kW to 1.5 million kW, enabling the annual transmission of about 3 billion kWh of clean electricity, roughly 30 times the capacity of previous lines, according to China Southern Power Grid.
As the largest cross-border grid project and the highest-voltage power link between China and Laos, it connects southwest China's Yunnan Province with Oudomxay and Luang Namtha provinces in northern Laos.
Cross-border electricity trading began as the project entered operation. About 4.81 million kWh of power from clean energy bases in northern Laos was transmitted to Yunnan through the new line, marking a more regular and institutionalized phase of power connectivity between the two countries.
It is also the first time an overseas new energy project has participated in China's electricity market, the company said. The power involved in the transaction came from a large mountain photovoltaic project in Laos, one of the core supporting power sources for the interconnection line.
"This project is the cross-border power grid project with the highest voltage level between China and Laos. Leveraging the China-Laos power grid interconnection and the power markets in southern China, surplus hydropower from Laos can be transmitted to China during the rainy season, while China can supply supplemental power to northern Laos during the dry season. This project represents yet another landmark achievement between China and Laos in deepening power cooperation and jointly advancing the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative," said Li Jingru, general manager of Electricite du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDL-T), a joint venture of China Southern Power Grid and Lao state-run Electricite du Laos.
The solar project has an average annual power generation capacity of about 1.65 billion kWh. In 2026, it is expected to transmit about 1.1 billion kWh of solar power across the border, supporting energy complementarity between the two countries.
"In the future, efforts will be made to further promote normalized cross-border electricity trading, meet the trading needs such as electricity transmission from Laos to China's Yunnan, from China's Yunnan to Laos, and from Laos to China's Guangdong, and facilitate the optimal allocation of energy resources in the Lancang-Mekong region," said Li Minhong, marketing director of China Southern Power Grid.
Construction of the interconnection project began in late February last year. Spanning a total length of 177.5 km, the transmission line includes a 145-km Chinese section and a 32.5-km Lao section.
New China-Laos power link expands transfer capacity 30-fold, boosts electricity trading
