A China-Europe freight train carrying hundreds of tons of medical equipment from China arrives in Belgrade, Serbia on May 26, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

China opposes external forces imposing pressure on sovereign states and rejects attempts to demand other countries to pick sides in a coercive manner, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone conversation with Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic on Friday.

As Serbia's long-term and reliable "ironclad" friend, China supports Serbia in safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity, in upholding independent foreign policies and making decisions and judgments in line with its fundamental national interests, Wang said.

China stands ready to continue to render mutual support with Serbia in international and multilateral platforms, including rejecting plots to politicize and instrumentalize human rights affairs, said the Chinese foreign minister.

Wang proposed to sign a free trade agreement between the two countries as soon as possible so as to inject strong impetus into bilateral cooperation and help Serbia to further enhance its own competitiveness.

Selakovic extended Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's cordial greetings to President Xi Jinping and thanked Xi for congratulating Vucic on his re-election.

He appreciated that China firmly supports Serbia in safeguarding its core interests, adding that Serbia also firmly supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity and opposes any attempt to split China.

Cooperation between Serbia and China has overcome effects of the turbulent international situation and made steady progress, Selakovic said.

The Beno section of the Hungary-Serbia railway, a key project for the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries, opened on March 19.

Selakovic affirmed the indispensable role of Chinese enterprises in Serbian economic and social development and said Serbia is willing to deepen the "ironclad" friendship with China to jointly meet challenges.

Selakovic also said Serbia highly appreciated that China upholds justice and fairness in the international affairs and actively promotes peace talks.

In response, Wang said the international community should be highly alert against the resurgence of the Cold War mentality and jointly reject attempts to divide the world. Noting Serbia is faced with complex and changing external environment, Wang said he believed Serbia has the wisdom and ability to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

The two sides agreed that China and Serbia are full of confidence about the future of bilateral relations and would continue to firmly support each other.