First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić at the Think Tank conference of the Belt and Road Institute

„Dear Vice-Foreign Minister Mr Deng Li,

Dear Ambassador Chen Bo,

Dear colleagues,

It is my pleasure to greet you today on behalf of myself and the Government of the Republic of Serbia and wish you success in the work of the second Think Tank conference organised by the Belt and Road Institute. In this way we wish to encourage overall cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the People's Republic of China, which both countries see as traditionally friendly, strategic and long-term, for our mutual benefit.

I also wish to congratulate you on the successfully held 20^th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, welcome the decisions that have been made, and in particular, heartily congratulate President Xi Jinping on his re-election as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. This event of exceptional importance for the People's Republic of China and the Chinese people was in all its segments interwoven with the great and wise ideas of President Xi Jinping about „socialism with Chinese characteristics“ which best lead China towards the realisation of the second centenary goal - the construction of a modern prosperous socialist country, to be classified as a developed country. Guidelines and conclusions of the 20^th Congress of the CCP are important not only for the further development and prosperity of the People's Republic of China, but also for the preservation of global peace, security and stability, as well as for the recovery of the fragile world economy which is facing great challenges, and for the future long-term development of the entire world, to which China's Global Development Initiative is also committed, fully complementary to the UN 2030 Agenda.

We are proud of the fact that President Xi is a great friend of Serbia, a leader who has demonstrated his commitment to the friendship of our countries and peoples countless times and, together with President Aleksandar Vučić, opened a new chapter in our cooperation. The close communication and personal friendly ties fostered by the two presidents provide a special impetus to the further strengthening of our bilateral relations.

I am convinced that a period of strengthening cooperation in all aspects awaits us, especially in the field of economy and infrastructure, for which we have laid very strong foundations in previous years.

The support that the People's Republic of China provides to Serbia in preserving sovereignty and territorial integrity is extremely significant, and for that I am grateful personally and on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Serbia reciprocates with full support for the protection of China's national interests and consistent respect for the „one China“ policy. Serbia is not a big country, but it is the greatest friend to those who understand it and who respect and protect its interests. Our interests, just like China's, relate only to our country, not to other countries, and that is why we understand each other well.

In this regard, we see the strategic initiative „One Belt, One Road“ as a guiding model of our overall cooperation, and we are convinced that through its implementation we best express the interests of both countries in terms of our economic connectivity. Serbia was among the first in this part of Europe to recognise the benefits of this project and is one of its most active members in South-East Europe.

Thanks to cooperation within the „One Belt, One Road“ project, a whole series of vitally important infrastructure projects have been implemented or are underway in Serbia, the importance of which is long-term and strategic – not only for our country, but also for the entire region and beyond. With such experience, and especially bearing in mind our relations of comprehensive strategic partnership, Serbia wishes to continue to improve and strengthen its cooperation with the People's Republic of China, as a reliable partner, a sincere friend and one of the most influential political and economic factors in today's world.

In this regard, I see today's conference as a contribution and incentive to that cooperation, and as far as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and myself are concerned, we will study your conclusions and recommendations with the utmost care, as a professional and qualified contribution to the achievement of our common goals.

Therefore I wish you successful work not only today, but also in the entire period ahead, in the belief that relations between Serbia and China will continue to develop to mutual satisfaction and benefit.

Thank you“!