On the evening of May 7, 2024 local time, President Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade by special plane for a state visit to Serbia at the invitation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
Serbian Air Force sent two fighter jets to escort Xi Jinping's plane after it entered the country's airspace. Xi Jinping was warmly welcomed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his wife, Chairman of the National Committee for Cooperation with China and former President Tomislav Nikolić and his wife, President of the National Assembly Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, and Foreign Minister Marko Đurić, among others, at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.
Aleksandar Vučić held a distinctive welcoming ceremony for Xi Jinping at the airport. Serbian children presented flowers to Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan, and waved the national flags of China and Serbia. Serbian people dressed in national costumes sang and danced to warmly welcome them.
Xi Jinping delivered an arrival statement. Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Serbia enjoy profound traditional friendship. The bilateral relationship has stood the test of a changing international environment and become a fine example of state-to-state relations. Since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016, the bilateral relationship has realized leapfrog development, and achieved historic results. The two countries are bound by rock-solid political mutual trust, and have seen fruitful results in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. People-to-people exchanges are becoming more robust. Their ironclad friendship has taken deeper roots in the heart of the two peoples. Cooperation between the two countries is rooted in the principle of equality and mutual benefits. It serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both countries. China will work with Serbia to jointly stay committed to the original aspiration and forge ahead together to open up a new vista in China-Serbia cooperation with stronger momentum, greater scope, and higher quality. Xi Jinping said, "I look forward to taking the opportunity of this visit to have an in-depth exchange of views with President Aleksandar Vučić on the bilateral relationship and other issues of mutual interest, renew friendship, plan for cooperation, explore development, and draw up a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations. I am confident that this visit will be a fruitful one and will open up a new chapter in China-Serbia relations."
Madame Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other members of the entourage arrived on the same plane.
Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming also greeted the delegation at the airport.
As Xi Jinping's motorcade drove from the airport to the hotel, Belgrade was brimming with a joyous atmosphere, with national flags of China and Serbia fluttering in the breeze everywhere, many places lit up in "Chinese red", and giant electronic screens displaying the rolling message of "Warm welcome to our dear Chinese friends." Chinese living and studying in Serbia as well as local Serbian people spontaneously gathered on both sides of the streets to warmly welcome Xi Jinping, waving the national flags of China and Serbia.
