Interview: Serbia's foreign minister praises relations with China

The crown of Serbia-China relations is the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, visiting Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said in an interview with Xinhua.

"China and Serbia are at their greatest state of cooperation in history and we have reached the greatest period in the relationship," said Dacic, who is also the deputy prime minister of Serbia.

Dacic lauded China's Belt and Road Initiative, saying it "actually provides us with a systematic approach to contribute to the development of Serbia."

Serbia is paying attention to a number of areas under the initiative including infrastructure, energy and telecommunications. The Belt and Road Initiative also provides opportunities in science, education, medicine, and people-to-people and student exchanges, he added.

Dacic also expressed willingness to join bilateral projects under the "16+1" mechanism, a platform created by China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries.

He said transportation is currently the focus of the "16+1" platform. He mentioned the railway section between Belgrade and Budapest which will further extend to Greece as well as the railway and highway sections that will link Serbia and Montenegro.

As for cooperation in energy, Dacic said, "The value of the projects that we have completed is two billion U.S. dollars. We are also discussing projects of about one billion dollars."

Dacic expects other countries in Central and Eastern Europe to find new ways to cooperate with each other and China in terms of developing the region.

Recalling his last visit to China, Dacic said tremendous changes have taken place in the country, which today is "among the largest economies and actually the carrier of global growth."

Besides financial transactions and industrial production, China's development is also reinforced by economic reforms, according to Dacic.

Restructuring measures gave support to the small-and medium-sized enterprises, led to an increase the people's living standards and helped China become a global economic leader, he added.

Dacic noted that amid the rise of anti-globalization and protectionism, fears of shutting down the global market are exaggerated, especially when it comes to trade with China.

Dacic expressed confidence that global trade with China would remain robust.

Dacic also expressed Serbia's support for the one-China policy and stressed the importance of respecting international law and principles on territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Dacic began his official visit to China on Wednesday. He said he hopes his visit would lead to further cultural cooperation, stronger coordination on foreign policy, as well as a visa-free regime between the two countries. Endi