President Xi Jinping and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic jointly meet the press after their talks in Belgrade, Serbia, on May 8, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

During their talks, Xi called Vucic "my dear friend", saying that his visit in 2016 was still fresh in his memory.

He noted the "gratifying progress" in Belt and Road cooperation between China and Serbia. The Balkan country was home to the first bridge and the first highway constructed by Chinese companies in Europe, while the opening of the Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the 350-kilometer Belgrade-Budapest high-speed railway in 2022 shortened the travel time for local residents.

Vucic said that China is the sincerest friend of Serbia, and President Xi is a great world leader.

The people of Serbia are filled with gratitude and respect toward China, especially President Xi, and they feel deeply proud and honored to have such a great country like China as a steadfast friend, he said.

The two leaders also witnessed the signing of cooperation documents covering the Belt and Road, green development, the digital economy, information and telecommunications, and agri-food after their talks.