Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said Tuesday that both China and Serbia were both victims of the World War II (WWII) and made tremendous sacrifices in the fight against fascism.[Special coverage]
The Serbian leader came to China for the commemorative activities and military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and said he is confident that China's V-Day parade will be a success.
"I could see on TV how China prepares for the commemoration ... I'm also very pleased that one unit of the Serbian guard will also participate in the parade," he said ahead of the Sept. 3 parade.
The president said he was very happy to be with the Chinese to mark the events and the very part that he wants to see in Thursday's parade is the Chinese soldiers.
He said that he would like to see "how well-trained the soldiers will be and what formation they will walk."
The Serbian leader also praised China's contribution in promoting the peaceful development in the international community, adding that China now plays an important role on the global stage and its rise benefits the whole world.
He also said history should not be getting in the way for cooperation between countries and Japan and Germany should participate in China's commemorating activities for the 70th anniversary of the victory of WWII.
"Everyone cooperates nowadays, China, Serbia, Germany. What ended 70 years ago should be no obstacle to today's cooperation," he told Xinhua.
In addition, the Serbian president said he is very pleased about the bilateral relations. Though separated by thousands of miles, but the friendship between the two peoples are profound.
The Serbian leader welcomed Chinese investment in his country, saying Serbia has a customs-free market, skilled workforce, among others.
"I would like the Chinese investors to build factories and thereby make permanent link with Serbia. I think this is the best form of cooperation," he said.
Currently, thanks to the "Belt and Road" initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping, China-Serbia relations have come to a new high, said Nikolic.
"The idea about the new Silk Road has resulted in the agreement concerning the Belgrade-Budapest railroad. President Xi and I had additional conversations about this project and how Serbia could participate in the investment this time," he said.
Serbian side is preparing for the leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European countries which is expected to take place in China later this year, Nikolic said, noting that prime minister Alexsandar Vucic will lead a delegation for the meeting.
In the end, the Serbian president expressed his gratitude for China's help during his country's flood in 2014.
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