Chinese president arrives in Serbia for state visit

President Xi Jinping walks with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic during a welcoming ceremony at Belgrade airport on Friday. Xi is making a three-day visit to the European country and will also visit Poland and Uzbekistan.

China will work with Serbia to upgrade pragmatic cooperation to a higher level, President Xi Jinping said on Friday afternoon.

Xi made the remarks during a speech at the Belgrade airport where he was welcomed by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

Xi is on a three-day state visit to Serbia - the first of its kind by a Chinese head of state since Serbia's independence in June, 2006.

In an article published on Thursday by Politika, a daily Serbian newspaper, Xi proposed more cooperation on major projects, saying China wanted to share development opportunities and achievements with Serbia.

The two countries should increase bilateral trade and investment to benefit people in both nations, Xi said.

Describing Serbia as an "eternal friend and sincere partner" of China, Xi highlighted the bilateral friendship that dates back to the 1950s when China established diplomatic ties with Yugoslavia.

"There is a saying in Serbia that friends are the fruits of time," Xi said in his article.

The two countries will sign multiple cooperation documents covering areas such as economic affairs, trade, production capacity and finance, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Denis Depoux, deputy president of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants for Asia, said Serbia was one of the hot spots for investment in Europe, as the country seeked to join the European Union.

He said Serbia had been able to position itself as a destination with the lowest production costs in Europe and a high availability of labor with technical skills.