On June 17, 2016 local time, President Xi Jinping and President Tomislav Nikolic jointly attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Chinese Culture Center.

Xi Jinping and his wife Mme. Peng Liyuan, accompanied by President Tomislav Nikolic and his wife, Speaker of the National Assembly Maja Gojkovic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia, arrived at the ceremony site. The two heads of state together laid the cornerstone. Mayor Sinisa Mali of Belgrade announced that the road outside the Chinese Cultural Center will be named "Confucius Street" and the square "China-Serbia Friendship Square".

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi and others attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

The Chinese Culture Center is to be built on the site of former Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When completed, it will be the first Chinese Culture Center in western Balkans region.

After the ceremony, Xi Jinping and Mme. Peng Liyuan, accompanied by Tomislav Nikolic and his wife, together visited the historical Kalemegdan Park.

Belgrade in June enjoys bright sunshine and cloudless sky. Lush green lawns and beautiful sceneries light up the Kalemegdan Park. Both heads of state and their wives conducted warm and friendly exchanges while strolling in the park.

Xi Jinping stepped on the viewing deck to appreciate the scene. He said that looking down the Sava River and the Danube River from the Kalemegdan Castle is like looking at the history course of the ever-growing Serbian nation. The perseverance of the Serbian people has been revived over and over like a phoenix rising from the ashes, to which the Chinese people deeply admire. Both China and Serbia are peace-loving countries that fear no powers. China is willing to, together with Serbia, firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns and jointly make contribution to safeguarding world peace and development.