Serbia, China strike deal

21/08/2009

Thursday's agreement turns Beijing into "the fourth pillar of Serbia's foreign policy", according to President Boris Tadic.

(Blic, B92, People's Daily, CCTV - 21/08/09; Xinhua, Beta, B92, Radio Srbija, RIA Novosti - 20/08/09)

Serbia President Boris Tadic (left) and Chinese President Hu Jintao shake hands at a signing ceremony for a number of economic and cultural agreements at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday (August 20th) in Beijing. [Getty Images]

Serbia and China signed a strategic partnership deal in Beijing on Thursday (August 20th), pledging to enhance political, economic and trade co-operation between the two countries.

A joint statement, issued after a meeting between presidents Hu Jintao of China and Boris Tadic of Serbia, said that the two heads of state agreed "to further promote bilateral relations in an all-round way", and that their countries have decided to establish a "strategic partnership".

The deal was reached a day after the Serbian leader arrived on a week-long official visit to China, his first since the end of the loose state union of Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.

Praising the good relations between the two countries, Tadic said Thursday's agreement turned Beijing into "the fourth pillar of Serbia's foreign policy", listing Brussels, Washington and Moscow as the other three.

Hu outlined four specific goals of the strategic partnership between China and Serbia: more political exchanges; enhanced economic and trade relations; stronger co-operation on international issues of mutual concern; and better co-operation in the fields of culture, sports, education, science and technology, tourism, media and NGO activities.

Speaking about the economic and trade aspects of the deal, the Chinese president named infrastructure, petrochemicals, energy and high-technology as specific spheres of interest.

Other issues the two leaders discussed Thursday included Kosovo and Taiwan. Reiterating that his country backs Serbian sovereignty and territorial integrity, Hu called for a mutually acceptable compromise on Kosovo, achieved through dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Tadic, meanwhile, expressed Serbia's support for the "one China policy". He said his country would not establish official relations with Taiwan and continues to oppose any form of independence for the East Asian island.

During his visit, Tadic addressed a business forum attended by representatives of Chinese energy, construction, financial, pharmaceutical, consulting, agriculture and textiles companies.

"Our government is ready to give to Chinese construction companies infrastructural deals in Serbia worth 1 billion euros," he told the participants. "In Belgrade alone, we plan construction of five bridges over the Danube and the Sava [rivers]."

Tadic also listed the construction of a new modern port on the Danube and a duty free zone for Chinese companies as other possible co-operation initiatives.

The Serbian president is due to hold talks with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Parliament Speaker Wu Bangguo on Friday. He is also scheduled to travel to Shaanxi Province and Shanghai during his visit to China. Accompanying him is a delegation that included Deputy Prime Minister Mladjan Dinkic and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic,