Serbia's President Vučić Arrives in Beijing for State Visit, Following Pakistan PM's Trip

Invited by President Xi Jinping, Serbian President Vučić arrived in Beijing on May 24th to begin his state visit to China. The day before, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz arrived in Hangzhou to start his visit to China. The leaders of two countries with an "ironclad friendship" with China have visited successively. Against the backdrop of changing international dynamics, what signals do these visits send to the world, and what insights can they offer observers of China-Pakistan and China-Serbia relations?

The China-Pakistan and China-Serbia friendships have both been tempered by the long river of time and tested by the storms of history. Pakistan is one of the earliest countries to recognize new China. Projects such as the Gwadar Port and the Karakoram Highway, built with Chinese aid, have become shining calling cards for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. In 2015, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Pakistan, and China-Pakistan relations were elevated to an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. Prime Minister Sharif's visit will provide an opportunity for the two countries to continue their traditional friendship and deepen all-round cooperation. At a time of tension in the Middle East, China and Pakistan are working hand in hand to contribute to maintaining regional peace and defending international justice. This is the latest footnote to China-Pakistan's high-level international collaboration and enriches the connotation of China building a community of shared future in its neighborhood.

Serbia is the first European country to jointly build a community of shared future in the new era with China. The friendship between the Chinese and Serbian people, forged in blood, has become a common memory for both peoples. Despite the vast distance, high-level interactions between China and Serbia are frequent. In May 2024, President Xi Jinping visited Serbia, and China-Serbia relations achieved a new great historical leap. President Vučić is a familiar old friend to the Chinese people. Serbia is one of the few European countries that has both a free trade agreement with China and mutual visa exemption and direct flight arrangements. It is also a key hub country in the Western Balkans and even Central and Eastern Europe for promoting connectivity cooperation. President Vučić's state visit to China for the first time will powerfully promote bilateral cooperation and China's cooperation with the Central and Eastern European region.

Whether in Pakistan or Serbia, the local people have a special fondness for China. The Chinese people affectionately call them "Ba Tie" (Iron Brother Pakistan) and "Sai Tie" (Iron Brother Serbia), and have never forgotten the sincere support from their "old iron brothers." During the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, Pakistan dispatched all its military transport planes, even removing the seats to make space, and delivered all its strategic reserve tents to China's disaster-stricken areas at the first opportunity. On issues concerning China's core interests, President Vučić has always taken a clear and righteous stance, repeatedly emphasizing that "Serbia supports the One China principle with all its political strength." The China-Pakistan and China-Serbia friendships have become a vivid example of equal mutual assistance in international relations.

Currently, some Westerners hold a Cold War mentality and distort the China-Pakistan and China-Serbia friendships as "alliances" or "targeting a third party," because in their logic, the only path for great powers to interact with small countries is through hegemonic interference and dependence on interests. The emergence of "Ba Tie" and "Sai Tie" completely shatters this outdated thinking and offers the world a new paradigm of equal treatment and mutual benefit between countries of different sizes.

"To associate with others based on mutual benefit, the benefit will dissipate and the association will end; to associate based on power, the power will fade and the association will collapse; only by associating with each other wholeheartedly can the friendship last long." China has always adhered to the correct view of righteousness and interests, treating Pakistan and Serbia equally and seeking common development. It has always insisted on the equal treatment of all countries, regardless of their size, without drawing lines based on strength or choosing sides. It has always respected each country's choice of development path that suits its own national conditions, without attaching any political conditions. Former Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs Vulin commented, "China knows how to listen and communicate. China is a partner, not a commander. China never dictates, but offers suggestions."

The "ironclad friendship" between China, Pakistan, and Serbia demonstrates the underlying nature and precious value of a new type of international relations, proving that countries with different civilizations, systems, and sizes can absolutely achieve peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit. At the level of multilateral cooperation, China, Pakistan, and Serbia have highly compatible positions and deep resonance in their views on the international order, both committed to promoting global governance towards a more just and reasonable direction. As unilateralism and power politics increasingly plunge the world into division and turmoil, the "ironclad friendship" accumulated over decades between China, Pakistan, and Serbia provides an action reference for building an equal and orderly multipolar world.