Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he was "deeply moved" in receiving China's Friendship Medal during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, emphasizing the close ties and mutual respect between Serbia and China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping awarded Vucic the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China on Monday. As solemn music played and the golden doors slowly opened, Xi and Vucic entered the hall together, followed by Xi's wife Peng Liyuan and Vucic's wife Tamara Vucic.
Applauding guests rose to their feet in respect. A Guard of Honor escorted the Friendship Medal into the hall, and amid the ceremony, Xi formally presented the medal to Vucic.
Representatives from both countries attended the event, including faculty members and students from leading Beijing universities.
"Serbians and Chinese people are very similar in many ways. We both value family, friendship and loyalty. Honesty and sincerity mean a lot in friendship," said Peng Yuchao, a teacher from the Beijing Foreign Studies University and a recent recipient of Serbia's Gold Medal for Merit.
"Receiving such an honor is incredible. I was very moved. I find it is very easy to call China home, to fit in here. I think culturally we are very similar in that sense - we're very friendly and open. Look at the new quality productive forces in that area, and if we try to combine them with the 2035 program that President Vucic has put forward, [we can] try to match and find a common area for development there," said Jelena Stefanovic, director of the Representative Office of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.
The Friendship Medal is China's highest state honor for foreigners, reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization drive, promoting exchange and cooperation between China and the rest of the world, and safeguarding world peace.
"There is a Chinese phrase - 'So happy as to weep' - which means that even a man can shed tears at a moment of great happiness. When I heard President Xi would personally present me with the Friendship Medal, tears welled up in my eyes. It's hard to imagine. This is one of the most important moments of my life. Thank you, President Xi, for this recognition. I will continue to devote myself to the future development of Serbia-China ties and further building of the Serbia-China community with a shared future," said Vucic in his acceptance speech.
At the invitation of Xi, Vucic is on a state visit to China from Sunday to Thursday, marking his first state visit to China and his ninth trip to the country overall.
'Deeply moved' as Xi awards Friendship Medal: Vucic
The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s consumer price inflation eased in July, breaking a multi-month accelerating trend amid stabilizing energy prices and lower farm goods prices, statistical ministry data showed Tuesday.
The consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.8 percent in July from a year earlier, falling below 3.0 percent in three months, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
It marked a noticeable deceleration from 3.2 percent in June, after accelerating from 2.0 percent in February to 2.2 percent in March, 2.6 percent in April and 3.1 percent in May.
Headline inflation, however, stayed above the central bank's mid-term inflation target of 2 percent for 11 straight months since September 2025.
The Bank of Korea raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent in July, turning toward monetary tightening in about three and a half years since January 2023.
Oil products price gained 15.5 percent last month, after spiking 24.7 percent in the previous month. The price lifted overall inflation by 0.60 percentage points.
Price for gasoline and diesel jumped 12.6 percent and 21.5 percent each, while computer price shot up 25.1 percent amid soaring semiconductor price. Price for industrial products, including oil products and processed food, advanced 3.7 percent in July compared to the same month last year, slower than an expansion of 4.4 percent in the previous month.
Processed food price added 1.0 percent in July from a year earlier, faster than a growth of 0.9 percent in the previous month.
Price for agricultural, livestock and fishery products climbed 0.9 percent in July from a year earlier, after picking up 3.2 percent in June.
Agricultural products price slipped 2.2 percent last month, turning downward from an increase of 1.1 percent in the prior month. Those for livestock and fishery products swelled 4.4 percent and 3.9 percent each.
Rice price mounted 7.9 percent, but those for napa cabbage, watermelon, spinach, cucumber and zucchini retreated in double figures. Those for beef, imported beef, pork, egg and mackerel increased in single digits.
Price for electricity, natural gas and tap water was up 0.4 percent in July on a yearly basis.
City gas charge and waterworks fee added in single digits, but heating cost dipped 0.2 percent.
Services price surged 2.6 percent last month, hiking up the headline inflation by 1.46 percentage points.
Public service price rose 1.4 percent, while private service price, including eating-out costs, expanded 3.5 percent.
The eating-out expense gained 2.6 percent, and the private service price excluding the dining-out cost jumped 4.1 percent.
Affected by a spike in fuel surcharges from rising oil prices, international airfares soared 21.7 percent last month.
Housing rent, including Jeonse and monthly rent, was up 1.1 percent in July from a year earlier.
Jeonse is the country's unique contract between two households where a landlord grants two-year residential rights to a tenant, who in turn lends a certain amount of money, or a deposit, to the landlord.
The livelihood items index, which gauges prices for daily necessities, climbed 2.5 percent, while the fresh food index, which measures prices for fish, shellfish, fruit and vegetables, declined 2.3 percent.
Demand-side inflationary pressure lingered. Core consumer price index, which excludes volatile agricultural and oil products, appreciated 2.5 percent last month.
The OECD-method core price, excluding volatile food and energy costs, went up 2.6 percent in the cited month.
ROK's consumer price inflation eases to 2.8 pct in July
