英语新闻丨Chinese president starts state visit to Serbia

President Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, on Tuesday night, starting a state visit to the central European country. Upon his arrival, the Chinese president said he is confident that this visit will be a fruitful one and open up a new chapter in China-Serbia relations."On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I would like to extend heartfelt greetings and best wishes to the friendly government and people of Serbia," Xi said in a written speech upon his arrival at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.The last time Xi was in Serbia was in 2016, when the two countries' heads of state upgraded bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Since then, the China-Serbia relationship has realized leapfrog development, and achieved historic results, Xi said in the speech.Standing at a new historical starting point, he said that China will work with Serbia to jointly stay committed to the original aspiration and forge ahead together to open up a new vista in China-Serbia cooperation, with stronger momentum, greater scope and higher quality."I look forward to taking this visit as an opportunity to have in-depth exchange of views with President Aleksandar Vucic on bilateral ties and other issues of mutual interest, renew friendship, plan for cooperation, explore development, and draw up a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations," he said.Xi is currently making a six-day visit to Europe, his first European tour in five years. The three-nation trip has already taken him to France, and later he will go to Hungary.Reporter: Mo Jingxi