Lin Jian

BEIJING - Serbia is China's first comprehensive strategic partner in Central and Eastern Europe and the two countries maintain an iron-clad friendship, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Serbia on May 7-8.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to make a state visit to France on May 6 and 7, Paris announced on Monday, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda.

The visit to France, which will be followed by trips to Serbia and Hungary, marks the Chinese leader's first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.

China emphasized today the necessity for extensive groundwork before the Ukraine peace conference, slated to be held in Switzerland. This statement follows German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's assertion that Beijing had committed to backing the summit, as per AFP reports.