Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić struck a defiant tone during his visit to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and criticized what he described as European pressure over Serbia’s foreign relations.
Upon arriving in China, Vučić complained that the European Union was trying to “dictate” Serbia’s diplomacy by expecting Belgrade to limit direct engagement with powers such as China and Russia.
“It would be best if they made me a wishlist of who I’m allowed to talk to and who I’m not. Then what do we even need a president or a government for?” Vučić said, according to foreign media reports.
China has become Serbia’s largest foreign investor, with Beijing significantly expanding its economic and political influence in the country over the past decade. During Xi Jinping’s 2024 visit to Serbia, the two sides celebrated a major free trade agreement that included plans to gradually eliminate tariffs on nearly all Serbian exports to China.
While Serbia officially remains an EU candidate country, Belgrade’s increasingly close alignment with Beijing continues to raise concerns in Brussels. European officials have repeatedly expressed unease over Serbia’s deepening dependence on China, warning that the country’s strategic direction is becoming increasingly incompatible with EU standards and foreign policy priorities.
Vučić’s latest remarks are likely to further fuel tensions with Brussels at a time when Serbia faces growing scrutiny over its relations with both China and Russia.
