Xi and Nikolic honor Chinese embassy staff killed by NATO

Xi and Nikolic honor Chinese embassy staff killed by NATO

The presidents' wives, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and government ministers, National Bank of Serbia Governor Jorgovanka Tabakovic and the members of the Chinese delegation laid white chrysanthemums - a traditional symbol of grief in China.

Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali, Chinese Ambassador Li Manchang and Serbian presidential aides Stanislava Pak and Jasmina Mitrovic Maric also paid tributes.

The national anthems of the two countries - "God of Justice" and "March of the Volunteers" - were played at the ceremony.

Also on Friday in Belgrade, the Chinese and Serbian presidents laid a cornerstone for a Chinese cultural center in Belgrade and unveiled a monument to Confucius and the name plates of the newly-named Confucius Street and the Square of Serbian-Chinese Friendship.

The cornerstone was laid on the site of the Chinese embassy building destroyed in the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia.

China's Culture Minister Luo Shugang said that the two countries have long histories and rich cultures, as well as a traditional friendship.

Cooperation has a very important place on the New Silk Road - also known as One Belt, One Road - and transcends space and the limitations of time, connects the past with the present and is in line with the principles of peace, development and well-being, connecting China with all other countries of the world, said Shugang.

The cultural center will be open to Serbian citizens and contribute to deepening the friendship between the two nations, he said.

By laying the cornerstone, the two countries are building another bridge of friendship, said Serbian Culture Minister Ivan Tasovac, expressing the confidence that the cultural centre will be a meeting place and a place for discussions about new partnerships. Xi and Nikolic on Friday took a walk around Belgrade's Kalemegdan Park, whose famous fortress and parts of Serbia's history were presented to the Chinese delegation.

They were accompanied by their wives, delegation members, reporters and Relja Seratlic of the Belgrade Fortress Public Enterprise, who acted as a presenter.

Xi arrived earlier in the day on a three-day official visit to Serbia.

On Saturday, the second day of Xi's visit, an official welcome was extended outside the Palace of Serbia, followed by meetings with Serbian top officials and the signing of over 20 agreements.

Xi will visit the Zelezara Smederevo steel mill on Sunday.