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According to different Serbian, China and international media, the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić paid a 5 days state visit in China starting on 24 of May.
For the Protocol: While Vucic has been to China several times for various international summits and forums, this latest trip marks his first official state visit to the country. As President Vučić arrived, honour guards lined up in salutation. After the two presidents stepped onto the reviewing stand, the military band played the national anthems of China and Serbia. A 21-gun salute was performed on the Tian’anmen Square. President Vučić reviewed the guard of honour of the People’s Liberation Army and watched the march-past in President Xi’s company.
According to TANJUG, during the meeting on 25 of May, Aleksandar Vučić and Xi Jinping signed a joint statement on the “continued promotion and development of a Serbia–China community with a shared future in the new era, as well as a joint statement on jointly advancing the implementation of the four global initiatives”. In the joint statement the two Presidents said they would deepen cooperation in counterterrorism, preventing colour revolutions and the tightening of security for major events and Belt and Road Initiative projects.
More than 23 cooperation agreements and memorandums between Serbia and China were also signed in the areas of political relations, economy and trade, science and technology, education, legal affairs and culture.
According to the official statement of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affaires, on the afternoon of May 25, 2026, President Xi Jinping held talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
President Xi noted that “during his state visit to Serbia in 2024, the two sides jointly opened a new chapter of building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era. Over the past two years, efforts to build this community have produced positive outcomes, which have not only brought benefits to the two peoples, but also set a fine example for state-to-state relations. The two sides need to strengthen exchanges, consolidate mutual trust, deepen cooperation and extend mutual support, and work together to embark on a bright path toward a shared prosperous future, and bring China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights”.
President Xi emphasized that the China-Serbia ironclad friendship is unique, and underpinned by deep historical logic and a strong practical foundation. The two sides should continue giving each other firm support. China supports Serbia in following a development path that fits its national conditions, and stands ready to strengthen experience sharing on governance with Serbia. The two sides need to strengthen the connection between their development strategies, work for the sound implementation of the mid-term action plan for Belt and Road cooperation, and further advance cooperation in areas such as transport and energy infrastructure. Facing a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the two sides need to expand cooperation in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, green energy and advanced manufacturing, and identify new areas of growth. The two sides need to continue strengthening youth and people-to-people exchanges, make good use of the policy mix of “visa free + free trade + direct flights,” and fully expand cooperation in culture, education, sports and tourism and at the subnational level, so as to carry forward the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Serbian peoples.
President Vučić extended congratulations on China’s success in formulating and launching its 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development, and expressed his confidence that under the leadership of President Xi, China will make greater achievements in its development.
President Xi also awarded Vucic China’s “friendship medal” during his visit on Monday, in a sign of their close ties.
Comments: President Vučić’s journey to Beijing is more than a bilateral meeting. Serbia, navigating between its EU candidacy and its tangible benefits from Chinese partnership, exemplifies the difficult choices facing nations in a multipolar world.
Serbia has maintained close ties to Beijing and benefited from a boom in Chinese investment over the past decade. China is among Serbia’s top five investors, and Chinese projects currently underway include Belgrade’s metro system, a major road tunnel in the city and several bridges, according to Serbia’s finance ministry. China also built a high-speed rail line, which opened in October 2025.
But the cornerstone of the of Serbia – China strategic partnership is the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, signed during President Xi’s own visit to Serbia in 2024 and already operational. China committed to drastically reducing tariffs on nearly all Serbian imports over the coming decade. This deal represents a substantial economic lifeline and a vote of confidence in the Serbian economy.
On the other side, in the EU, the visit of Alexander Vučić in China was cotted as controversial. In a world where geopolitical alliances are increasingly scrutinized, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s recent visit to Beijing underscores a defiant foreign policy path. During meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vučić openly criticized what he portrayed as European Union efforts to constrain Serbia’s diplomatic sovereignty. His pointed remarks at a press conference—suggesting the EU might as well provide a “wish list” of approved contacts—highlight the tension between Serbia’s pursuit of EU membership and its desire for an independent foreign policy. This stance frames Serbia not as a passive candidate awaiting accession, but as an “autonomous, sovereign, independent state” determined to engage with partners it deems vital to its national interests, chief among them being China.
However, from the EU’s perspective, this deepening entanglement presents a profound dilemma. Brussels is faced with the prospect of integrating a member state whose economic and political ties with Beijing could be more extensive than those of any current EU nation, potentially complicating the bloc’s own efforts to craft a unified stance towards China.
Serbia’s FTA with China is seen by many analysts as a symbolic challenge to EU economic policy. For Vučić, it is a pragmatic pursuit of investment and growth, but for EU accession negotiators, it is a major point of contention, raising questions about regulatory alignment and long-term strategic loyalty within the union.
