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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday held back-to-back talks in Beijing with visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as China's home-field diplomacy welcomes old friends amid an active diplomatic blitz in May.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, Vucic arrived in Beijing on Sunday to begin a five-day state visit from May 24 to 28. Shehbaz Sharif also arrived in the Chinese capital on Sunday after an earlier stop in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province.

What makes the Monday top-level interactions special is that both Serbia and Pakistan are regarded by China as "ironclad friends" - a bond that is consistently emphasized in both official rhetoric and at the public level.

At a time of heightened global tensions, rising unilateralism, and intensifying bloc rivalry, these high-level engagements demonstrate the solid and enduring partnerships China maintains with its long-time friends. They also offer valuable momentum for building a more equitable and well-structured multipolar order and a new type of international relations, analysts noted.

Ironclad friendship 

During the meeting with Vucic, the Chinese leader said that China and Serbia should better align development strategies, implement the mid-term action plan for Belt and Road cooperation, and advance cooperation in transport and energy infrastructure among others, Xinhua reported.

Against the backdrop of a new scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, the two sides should expand cooperation in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, green energy and advanced manufacturing to foster new growth drivers, Xi said, per Xinhua.

After the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of more than 20 cooperation documents in the fields of politics, economy and trade, science and technology, education, justice, culture, and others.

The two sides also issued a joint statement on continuously promoting the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era and a joint statement on jointly promoting the implementation of the four global initiatives.

"For Serbia, the signing of today's agreements represents much more than diplomacy. They are a confirmation of sincere friendship, mutual respect, and trust that we have built and kept for years," Vucic said in a Facebook post following the signing ceremony of cooperation documents. 

Following a welcoming ceremony earlier, President Xi awarded Serbian President the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on Monday, according to Xinhua. 

While delivering his speech, Vucic said that Chinese people also talk about 'tears of joy and that men can shed hot tears at their happiest moments. When President Xi confirmed that he would personally award me the medal, my tears were already welling up in my eyes. This reflects the resilience of the relationship between our two countries, as well as the great mutual respect and shared achievements between us, which brings even greater honor to our nation, Vucic said, according to Xinhua.

The visit will further enrich the connotation of bilateral ties and carry great significance for the sustainable development of China-Serbia relations, said Cui Hongjian, professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Close coordination  

Before the meeting with Vucic, the Chinese leader held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

President Xi noted that over the past 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Pakistan have enjoyed mutual understanding, trust and support, and forged an unbreakable traditional friendship, according to the release from Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

China and Pakistan should accelerate the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and achieve more results in all-weather cooperation between the two countries, Xi said, according to Xinhua. He also urged the two sides to bring more benefits to the people of both countries, contribute to promoting regional peace and stability, and set an example for building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries.  

Xi said that China appreciates Pakistan for demonstrating a proactive spirit and mediating for peace to return to the Middle East, adding that the two sides should maintain close communication and coordination, jointly oppose unilateralism and the Cold War mentality, and promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and an economic globalization that is universally beneficial and inclusive, per the Chinese Foreign Ministry release. 

On his part, Shehbaz said that Pakistan firmly upholds the one-China principle and stands resolutely with China on all issues concerning China's core interests, and Pakistan will always be China's good friend and good partner, per the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

The fruitful outcomes of cooperation stand in sharp contrast to the hegemonic acts of some major powers, offering valuable reference for other nations, Zhu Yongbiao, a Middle East affairs expert with Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Monday. "It proves that multilateralism is an irreversible trend, and a fair, reasonable, inclusive and equitable international order is achievable and promising," Zhu noted.