Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić used a five-day state visit to Beijing to deepen ties with China on Monday, even as he confronts growing unrest at home following a deadly train station collapse and large anti-government protests.
Agreements and Strategic Partnership
After meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the two leaders oversaw the signing of more than 20 cooperation agreements spanning politics, trade, technology and education, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. Xi described the goal as elevating the countries' "comprehensive strategic partnership" and pledged closer exchanges on governance.
"China supports Serbia in persisting on a development path that suits its own national conditions, and is willing to strengthen exchanges of governance experience with Serbia," CCTV quoted Xi as saying.
Xi also urged expanded collaboration in artificial intelligence, the digital economy and green energy to help create new drivers of economic growth. Chinese state news agency Xinhua said Xi awarded Vučić a "friendship medal" during the visit.
Domestic Turmoil in Belgrade
Vučić's trip comes amid significant political pressure at home. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Belgrade on Saturday in the latest mass demonstration, ignited by a fatal train station collapse in November 2024. Clashes briefly broke out between groups of demonstrators and riot police, according to local reporting.
What began as demands for accountability over the November tragedy has broadened into larger calls for transparency and an end to entrenched graft, critics say. Many of Serbia's rapid infrastructure projects in recent years have been built with Chinese firms, a fact that has fed public scrutiny.
International Positioning
Serbia is formally pursuing European Union membership while maintaining close ties with both China and Russia. In an opinion piece for the South China Morning Post published during the visit, Vučić urged Europe to treat China with "confidence" rather than "fear and suspicion," arguing that cooperation should be pursued with open eyes.
In a joint statement carried by Xinhua, Beijing and Belgrade also called on nations not to politicize human rights issues, pledged to uphold sovereign equality, and stressed multilateralism and respect for the international rule of law.
Context
Observers say the visit underlines Serbia's balancing act between deepening economic and political ties with China and responding to mounting domestic discontent. The outcomes of this visit may shape both Serbia's immediate domestic politics and its international alignments in the months ahead.
