On May 16, 2017, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People with Prime Minister and President-elect Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia, who was in China for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF).

Xi Jinping congratulated Aleksandar Vučić on his election as President of Serbia. He pointed out that at present, the political mutual trust between China and Serbia has been enhanced and the practical cooperation has seen substantial achievements, showing that bilateral relations have maintained a momentum for vigorous growth. China is willing to work together with the Serbian side to consolidate the all-weather friendship, comprehensively deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields and promote the rapid development of China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership, so as to push bilateral relations toward a higher level and better benefit the two peoples.

Xi Jinping stressed that under the new situation, the two sides are supposed to accelerate the synergies in development strategies of the two countries, understand and accommodate each other's major concerns, intensify communication and coordination in international and regional issues. Both countries are expected to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, constantly inject the original impetus into the development of the bilateral relations and promote cooperation on major projects. China is willing to work with Serbia to foster a new pattern for people-to-people and cultural exchanges participated by multiple parties. China supports Serbia in taking a leading role in setting up a China-Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC) transportation infrastructure cooperation center, expecting Serbia to play a bigger role in China-CEEC cooperation in such fields as infrastructure construction, energy, education and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Xi Jinping noted that the two sides should promptly implement the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding on Jointly Pushing Forward the "Belt and Road" Construction, strengthen the planning and guidance of practical cooperation between the two countries, enhance the integration of development strategies and promote cooperation in key fields of transport infrastructure construction, energy and production capacity for common progress and prosperity.

Aleksandar Vučić said that Serbia is China's steadfast friend and reliable partner, and Serbia has gained numerous benefits from the participation in the BRF. The "Belt and Road" construction has closely connected Serbia and China and the two sides have already seen positive outcomes generated from major cooperation projects, such as the Smederevo Steel Mill project. Serbia appreciates the persistent support from China, adheres to the one-China policy and hopes to deepen bilateral cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, mining, infrastructure, finance, aviation and tourism.

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