Serbia trades Russia for China – Politico

Belgrade sees China as its new main partner in political trade with the West after close ties with Russia became dangerous for Serbia.

Serbian President Oleksandr Vucic told Xi during the meeting that although as the leader of a great power he will be met with respect all over the world, he will not find the kind of respect and love that he will meet in Serbia anywhere else.

Xi's arrival was met with tight security measures that effectively brought the Serbian capital to a standstill, with more than 6,500 police officers stationed at key points along the route of the visit, the paper said, paying homage to the Chinese ruler. Chinese flags were raised all over Belgrade, and about 50 buses brought people from different parts of the country to the main event site.

The publication reminds that multipolarity is a key aspect of China's foreign policy strategy, the formulation of which is often a veil for the goal of the current leadership to challenge the dominance of the United States in global politics.

Serbia, known for its close ties to Russia and frequent criticism of Brussels policies, is proving to be a useful tool in this endeavor despite its modest size and economic influence.

"This visit shows that Serbia has traded Russia for China when it comes to its main partner to trade with the West. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine has put Serbian-Russian relations under close scrutiny, so the government sees an advantage in playing the China card more often. , as it is considered less provocative," said Vuk Vuksanovic, an expert on Sino-Serbian relations and a senior researcher at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy.

According to him, the Balkans, and Serbia in particular, have become even more interesting for China now that one branch of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative through Russia and Belarus has actually been cut off by a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.