BELGRADE, Serbia, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- China and Serbia should actively leverage their advantages of exchanges and cooperation at all levels to contribute wisdom and strength to the development of bilateral relations and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, agreed participants at a China-Serbia media and think tank forum held here on Tuesday.

Jointly organized by China's Xinhua News Agency and Serbia's Tanjug News Agency, the forum brought together around 200 participants, including government officials as well as representatives from mainstream media and think tanks of both countries.

At the forum, Xinhua News Agency also launched the Serbian version of the report "Fostering a Global Community of Shared Future: Contemporary Significance and Tangible Achievements."

The report interprets the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind from multiple perspectives such as history, theory, culture and practice, representing the latest achievement of Xinhua's studies of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

The theme of the forum read as "Deepening China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership following the vision of a global community of shared future."

Addressing the forum, President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua said building a community with a shared future for mankind, a core concept of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, has contributed oriental wisdom to addressing global challenges. It is a concentrated expression of the common value pursuit of all mankind and has delivered tangible benefits for people of all countries.

China and Serbia are "iron-clad friends" who have stood together through thick and thin, Fu said, noting that as both countries move forward towards modernization, their collaboration vividly exemplifies promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Fu, also chairman of the academic committee of New China Research, said Xinhua attaches great importance to exchanges and cooperation with Serbian media and think tanks, and is willing to work with the Serbian side to continue telling well the story of China-Serbia friendship.

He said that through high-quality, multidimensional news coverage and think tank research, Xinhua aims to comprehensively showcase the bright prospects of China-Serbia relations in the new era, build a communication bridge and provide intellectual support for bilateral cooperation in various fields, and continue to act as an envoy for the China-Serbia friendship to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Ji Zhengju, vice-director of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the sustained and stable development of sound relations between China and Serbia plays an important role in better building a community with a shared future for mankind.

From this perspective, it is of great significance to strengthen cultural exchanges so as to jointly promote high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative through people-to-people connectivity and lay a solid foundation for enhancing the friendship between China and Serbia, added Ji, who is also director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau.

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming highlighted the special significance of the forum held on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Serbia. He said he believes the forum and the report will provide strong intellectual support for the development of China-Serbia relations and make positive contributions to the spread and implementation of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Manja Grcic, director general of Tanjug News Agency, said Tanjug, since its establishment, has always focused on China. Noting that cooperation between Serbia and China in jointly building the Belt and Road has achieved fruitful results and thus provided abundant resources for news reporting, Grcic said her agency will continue to focus on such cooperation with objective and truthful reports so as to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and contribute to the development of bilateral relations.

Goran Vesic, Serbia's minister of construction, transport and infrastructure, told the forum that the Serbian economy has developed rapidly in recent years, which is indispensable from China's support, and Chinese investments are highly welcomed in Serbia.

Serbia hopes to initiate higher-quality infrastructure cooperation with China, and promote the construction of smart roads, said the minister, adding that he believes pragmatic cooperation between the two countries will reach a higher level under the guidance of the two heads of state.

Following the event, Xinhua News Agency and Tanjug News Agency signed an agreement on news exchange and agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in news reporting and communication.