Xi holds welcome ceremony for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a welcome ceremony for visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

At the invitation of Xi, Vucic is on a state visit to China from Sunday to Thursday.

A 21-gun salute was fired at the Tian'anmen Square.

At the welcome ceremony, a military band performed the anthems of Serbia and China, respectively.

Vucic, accompanied by Xi, reviewed the Guard of Honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

The two heads of state then returned to the reviewing stand to watch a march-past performed by the Guard of Honor.

The Serbian president's entourage included the first lady Tamara Vucic, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic, among others.

Xi's wife Peng Liyuan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and other Chinese officials also attended the welcome ceremony.

The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday that 32 vessels including oil tankers, container ships and other merchant ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours with permission from the IRGC.

According to Monday's media reports from the Qatar side, an Iranian official stated that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened in phases.

Iran tightened its grip on the Strait beginning February 28, when it barred safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

The United States has also imposed a naval blockade on the strait, preventing ships traveling to and from Iranian ports transiting the waterway.