SATV, Kathmandu, May. 28 - While waiting to join the European Union, a process that has been underway for more than a decade and whose outcome remains uncertain, Serbia is seeking to strengthen relations with other global powers. In the Southeastern European nation's "multi-vector" foreign policy and economic development, China seems to play a crucial role.
In 2024, during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Belgrade, the two nations also signed a series of bilateral agreements, as part of their "ironclad friendship." As a result, China has positioned itself as an indispensable actor in Serbia's infrastructure development.
To modernize the Serbian section of the strategically important railway connecting Belgrade and Budapest, China's assistance is important. Beijing is also involved in the construction of a number of other major infrastructure projects across the country – from Corridor 11, connecting Serbia with Montenegro, and the Belgrade metro, to the modernization of the nation's key energy facilities. In the coming months, Chinese corporations are expected to begin construction of an important expressway that will connect the central and eastern regions of Serbia.
More importantly, despite being surrounded by European Union member states and candidate countries, it was China rather than European nations that became the largest investor in the Serbian economy in 2025. But some political circles in the EU do not seem to like that fact.
"It would be best if they just made me a wish list of who I am allowed to talk to and who I am not," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at a press conference prior to his most recent trip to China. "Then what do we need a president for? What do we need a government for?"
From May 24 to 28, Vucic paid an official visit to Beijing – calling it "the most important in his career" – where he met with the country's leadership, including President Xi, who awarded him the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China. The gesture undoubtedly carries symbolic significance in Serbia, where relations with China are a key element of foreign policy. Recent polls suggest that the vast majority of Serbian citizens see China in a rather positive light, enabling Belgrade to seek to intensify ties with Beijing.
