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Xi Jinping arrives in Serbia on his first visit in eight years

Chinese President began his visit on the day marking the anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by NATO aircraft

BEIJING, May 7. /TASS/. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Serbia on Tuesday on his first visit to that Balkan country in the past eight years, Xinhua news agency said.

The Chinese leader will be in Serbia on May 7-8 for a state visit, which, as the Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed out earlier, will be "an important milestone in improving and revitalizing Chinese-Serbian relations." Xi and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic are expected to discuss the international and regional situation, ways to get bilateral relations to a higher level, as well as will chart a course for the development of bilateral ties. The Serbian government adopted a number of documents on cooperation with China on the track of infrastructure, agriculture, IT and tourism during a meeting on May 7, ahead of the Chinese president's visit.

Xi began his visit on the day marking the anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by NATO aircraft. Ahead of the visit, the Chinese leader pointed out in an article for Politika that China would not forget the attack on the diplomatic mission in 1999, which killed three Chinese journalists.

The Chinese leader arrived in Belgrade from the city of Tarbes in southwestern France, where he was on a three-day state visit.

Earlier, Serbian media reported that about 3,400 police officers would ensure the safety of the Chinese leader. The Chinese delegation will be about 400-strong.

Serbian Prime Minister and chairman of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party Milos Vucevic stated earlier that China was a reliable ally and strategic partner of Serbia. "This year’s highest point will be the ratification and entry into force of the free trade agreement, which will open the vast Chinese market to our businesses," Vucevic said earlier this week.

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