In the afternoon of December 17 local time, Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia, after their talks, together met the journalists in Belgrade.
Li Keqiang briefed on the achievements of the meeting between the Chinese Premier and the Serbian Prime Minister. Li Keqiang expressed that the Chinese side is ready to work together with the Serbian side to build a strong cornerstone of political mutual trust, tap the potential of practical cooperation and plough deeply the fertile soil of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, so as to promote the development of China-Serbia strategic partnership and make the China-Serbia friendship pass on from one generation to another.
Li Keqiang answered the question of a Serbian journalist about the Hungary-Serbia Railway, expressing that the three sides of China, Serbia and Hungary announced to jointly build the Hungary-Serbia Railway during the meeting in Bucharest last November. During this meeting in Belgrade, the consensus has been implemented and substantial progress and new development have been achieved. Relevant countries all agreed to extend this railway to the port of Piraeus of Greece and jointly build a land-sea express passage linking China and Europe. Serbia is in the pivotal position of this passage. I believe the completion of this main artery will greatly expand the scale of China-Europe trade, and accelerate the development of the countries along the passage and all the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC), thus to narrow the regional disparities, promote balanced development within Europe and enrich the connotation of China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.
Vučić said that Serbia and China enjoy a profound traditional friendship and broad prospects for cooperation. The third meeting of Heads of Government of China and the CEEC achieved a complete success. The Serbian side is willing to further develop the Serbia-China strategic partnership on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment, and to implement with the Chinese side all the cooperation agreements already reached and jointly promote the Hungary-Serbia Railway, the land-sea express passage linking Europe and China and other cooperation projects, so as to benefit the people of the two countries and in the region at large.