Xiamen Airlines and the Republic of Serbia sign a Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation. (Photo courtesy of Xiamen Airlines)
FUZHOU, Sept. 9 (Southeast Network / Reporter: Xia Jing, Correspondent: Cao Yuhan) - On September 8, the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) opened at the Xiamen International Expo Center. At the Serbia National Pavilion, Xiamen Airlines signed a Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation with the Republic of Serbia. Leveraging its global route network, Xiamen Airlines will deepen practical cooperation in trade, culture and tourism, agriculture and other fields, upgrade bilateral economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges, and write a new chapter of China-Serbia cooperation for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
At the ceremony, Adrijana Mesarović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Republic of Serbia, and Xie Bing, General Manager of Xiamen Airlines, signed the Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation on behalf of their respective sides.
Mesarović stated that the ironclad friendship between China and Serbia is a friendly bridge built by the two heads of state on the basis of mutual trust and recognition, and that the fruits of cooperation continue to benefit the peoples of both countries. During President Aleksandar Vučić's visit to China this year, he mentioned cooperation with Xiamen Airlines on two occasions, demonstrating the high importance Serbia attaches to this partnership. She noted that Xiamen Airlines has excellent aircraft and superior service, with a route network spanning all continents. Serbia will fully support Xiamen Airlines' operations and continuously elevate the level of bilateral cooperation.
Xie Bing noted that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Serbia. Xiamen Airlines actively responds to the national strategic initiatives, undertakes the mission of connectivity, and sees broad space for cooperation with Serbia. Going forward, Xiamen Airlines will fully leverage the platform advantages of its global route network, serve the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, further promote bilateral economic and trade connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, and deepen and deliver tangible results in cooperation across various fields.
Both sides agreed to maintain regular strategic alignment, continue to tap cooperation potential and expand areas of collaboration, and jointly build a model of practical cooperation between China and Serbia.
Xiamen Airlines currently operates routes covering 203 cities in 45 countries and regions across five continents, and through the SkyTeam alliance, reaches 1,050 destinations worldwide. Building on this mature route network, the two sides will continuously improve two-way cargo connectivity between China and Serbia, strengthen cold-chain air transport for fresh produce and high value-added industrial goods, and simultaneously expand into industrial, cultural tourism and business services. They will establish the "Xiamen Airlines Farm" raspberry base in Serbia, promote the integration of "aviation + cultural tourism + hotel" business models, jointly develop tourism products tailored to the Chinese market in collaboration with the Serbian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and provide one-stop business services for Chinese enterprises in Serbia.
Earlier, Adrijana Mesarović had visited Xiamen Airlines twice, reaching multiple consensuses on air transport, agricultural product procurement and cultural tourism promotion. Leveraging its route advantages, Xiamen Airlines introduced a range of Serbian-flavored meals onboard, including Serbian raspberry juice and black truffle baked pasta, which proved highly popular among passengers — nearly 10,000 servings were selected within 4 months of launch. Xiamen Airlines also hosted a culinary cultural exchange event titled "A Taste of the Silk Road: When Xiamen Meets Serbia," using food as a bond to further enhance people-to-people connectivity between the two countries. These early explorations opened an aerial corridor for Serbian raspberries, honey and wine to reach the Chinese market directly, laying a solid practical foundation for this strategic cooperation.
At the exhibition, Xiamen Airlines set up a themed food truck called "When Xiamen Meets Serbia" to host tasting events, presenting and promoting jointly developed specialty flavors to visiting guests and domestic and international business representatives, offering a vivid demonstration of the two-way connectivity achieved through the aviation bond.