Golubac, Serbia – July 28, 2025
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić reflected today on his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, recounting a striking moment from their conversation in Moscow.
Speaking during a visit to Golubac, Vučić said that during their discussion, President Xi told him to ask for whatever he wanted, with the assurance that it would be granted.
“I was in shock,” Vučić recalled. “I said if possible I’d like a factory.”
The Serbian president’s comments came as part of a broader conversation on foreign investment and Serbia’s deepening ties with major global powers.
Referencing a historical anecdote, Vučić compared the exchange to one involving former Yugoslav Prime Minister Milan Stojadinović and Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hitler’s foreign minister. When Ribbentrop allegedly offered Stojadinović an expensive car, Stojadinović declined, stating they could not accept such a costly gift. Ribbentrop then replied that the car would cost only one mark.
“Then I’ll take two,” Vučić quoted Stojadinović as saying, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Vučić’s remarks underscore Serbia’s active pursuit of foreign partnerships particularly with China as it seeks increased industrial investment and strategic economic cooperation.
