Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic yesterday said that “Taiwan is China” as he made a speech welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to Belgrade, state broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) said.
“We have a clear and simple position regarding Chinese territorial integrity,” he told a crowd outside the government offices while Xi applauded him. “Yes, Taiwan is China.”
Xi landed in Belgrade on Tuesday night on the second leg of his European tour, and was greeted by Vucic and most government ministers. Xi had just completed a two-day trip to France, where he held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron as the EU takes a tougher stance on trade with China.
Photo: AFP
In Serbia, he aims to bolster economic and political ties with a country that has thrown open its arms to Chinese trade and investment. He is to finish up his five-day trip with a stop in Hungary, where Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stands nearly alone among EU leaders in drawing closer to China.
Xi said in a statement after landing in Belgrade that China-Serbia cooperation “serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both countries.”
He added that he looked forward to speaking with Vucic about relations between their nations “and other issues of mutual interest.”
His visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the deadly US bombing of the Chinese embassy during the 1999 NATO operation aimed at pushing Yugoslav troops out of Kosovo. That event, which the White House later called a mistake and blamed on faulty maps, triggered widespread protests in China.
On Tuesday, Xi vowed to “never forget” the bombing in an article published in Politika, Serbia’s oldest daily newspaper.
“Twenty-five years ago today, NATO flagrantly bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese journalists,” Xi said.
Chinese and Serbian flags fluttered along the highway leading to the city center ahead of the meetings yesterday, when the two sides were expected to sign as many as 30 agreements, the government in Belgrade said without elaborating.
Xi is to highlight projects such as a new high-speed railway linking Belgrade to Budapest.
Direct Chinese investment in Hungary and Serbia exceeds US$15 billion with more coming, ranging from car battery plants in Hungary to copper mining in Serbia.
“We are completely open to Chinese investment,” Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister Sinisa Mali told RTS shortly before Xi’s arrival. “China is one of the two biggest powers in the world, and Xi is the most important statesman coming to Serbia in the last several years.”
Additional reporting by AFP
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
RSS