Serbian president visits east China's Jiaxing, highlighting tech cooperation, youth ties

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visited the dynamic industrial and cultural hub of Jiaxing in east China's Zhejiang Province on Wednesday, continuing his five-day state visit.

He toured local factories and met young Serbians living and studying in China.

The Serbian leader visited a factory operated by Minth Group, a major automotive parts supplier that is scaling up its investment in Serbia. He underlined the deepening bilateral cooperation on science and technology, and pointed to Serbia's planned cooperation with Shanghai-based robotics company AgiBot and Minth Group to build a humanoid robot production base in Europe.

During the visit, Serbian students participating in a bilateral exchange program showcased the intelligent robot operation skills they have acquired in Jiaxing.

Serbian student Daniel Guresic said he was grateful for the opportunities that close China-Serbia relations brought.

"We attended the classes, we attended the whole factory, and we had a chance to see, and they showed us, we could learn not only here in China, we could learn also in Serbia. Minth company has two factories in our country, so we can learn also there. We saw our president came to China and we were told that he is coming here to see everything in Jiaxing, and that he will meet us here. We are very amazed. We are very grateful," he said.

As part of his trip, Vucic joined Zhejiang provincial officials to witness the official launch of the China-Serbia Youth Cultural Exchange Center, a new platform designed to promote collaboration among young people in innovation, technology, and cultural exchanges.

At a concluding press conference, the Serbian leader said this trip marked both a reunion of old friends and a fresh proof of practical cooperation between China and Serbia under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"We are here to follow his instructions. We'll remain very loyal friends, because for us the gratitude will last forever, and we are very ready to cooperate, to collaborate with China and Chinese people," said Vucic.

Vucic's state visit is scheduled to end on Thursday.

Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, met with the European Parliament's delegation for relations with China led by chair Engin Eroglu in Beijing on Wednesday.

Li, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China is willing to work with the European Union (EU) to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation, and pursue mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

He said China stands ready to join hands with the EU to address global challenges, promote exchanges and cooperation among legislative bodies, effectively utilize communication mechanisms, and advance the sound and stable development of China-EU relations.

Eroglu said the EU stands ready to work with China to contribute to the development of EU-China relations.