Dhe Serbian capital Belgrade saw red from the Chinese flags on Wednesday when President Aleksandar Vucic became the first European head of state to sign for ‘a common future in the new era’ with China. With this slogan, Xi persuades countries to become more closely entwined with China.
Vucic couldn’t believe his luck when he showed up next to a broadly smiling Xi to a cheering crowd. ‘We are making history, although not much (people, ed.) realize that,” said the Serbian president.
About the author
Marije Vlaskamp is foreign editor of de Volkskrant and writes about China’s position in the world. She also follows developments elsewhere in Asia. She was a Beijing correspondent for 18 years.
Xi has played it smart with this European tour, which started with an unremarkable visit to France. President Emmanuel Macron used his charm and the best cognac. Here and there, Xi met him with gestures that are not concessions, such as agreeing to a ceasefire during the Olympic Games in Paris next summer and a promise to temporarily waive import tariffs on French brandy. Pig parts that the French throw away as offal, but are prized delicacies in Asia, are also allowed to enter the Chinese market.
There was no rapprochement on sore points such as Chinese industrial overcapacity and the Chinese position on Ukraine. The most important success was that the atmosphere remained so friendly that Macron waved goodbye to the Chinese government apparatus with kisses.
Visit to Serbia
With the taste of French cheese still on his tongue, Xi flew to Serbia. That’s where things got exciting: how hard would he go against NATO? Xi arrived on a symbolically charged date. Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of NATO bombing the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, resulting in three Chinese deaths. Beijing attached little weight to the American reading – ‘an accident’.
A controlled outburst in the Serbian medium Politics was enough. Xi referred to the “shameless” NATO bombing as “the test of fire and blood” for the friendship between Belgrade and Beijing. “We must never forget this … The Chinese people cherish peace, but we will never allow this tragic history to repeat itself,” Xi said.
Instead of a thunderous sermon about the past, Xi chose to hit the Western alliance with a ‘joint future’ with ‘iron-strong friend’ Serbia. This pet peeve of Xi’s foreign policy appears in all kinds of variations in Chinese government documents, but the practice of such a special relationship has so far remained vague, just like the number of countries that have signed up for it.
The Sino-Serbian relationship
Now it is stated in black and white what Xi’s community entails. In addition to economic gifts, such as a Sino-Serbian free trade agreement, there are no limits to other forms of cooperation with Beijing, whether it concerns the relaxation of import procedures for Serbian plums or on issues that are sensitive in the rest of Europe, such as legal assistance in extraditions and security issues. The controversial Chinese police forces that will soon be stationed in Hungary have been patrolling Serbian cities for some time.
Curious is a plan for assistance from a Chinese state development aid body to the Serbian Ministry for European Integration in the field of human resources: what does Beijing have to do with Belgrade’s dealings with the European Union? It is unclear how Brussels relates to Vucic’s choice for China, but it is impossible to ignore this development. A European country, which is also a candidate for accession to the EU, sees its future in an alliance with an authoritarian, anti-Western superpower on the other side of the world.
Pro-Russian countries
After most countries in Central and Eastern Europe distanced themselves from China because of the friendship between Moscow and Beijing, Xi shows that with the two pro-Russian countries Serbia and Hungary as divisive groups, he is able to drive a wedge between European countries. Hungary, which has done its best to maintain good relations with Beijing over the past ten years, is an even more desirable target as an EU member state.
Judging by Xi’s package for Budapest, Hungary is also being prepared for a shared future with China with a barrage of new cooperation. The integration of Serbia and Hungary through Chinese factories, oil pipelines and rail connections is striking. With a future train connection to the Greek port of Piraeus, which is firmly in Chinese hands, this part of Europe is starting to show signs of a Chinese economic zone.
