Recently, Serbia is about to hold a military parade. This "Power of Unity" military parade is expected to feature advanced weapons purchased from China. At the recent rehearsal, China's Hongqi 17AE and Hongqi 22 anti-aircraft missiles have been displayed on Belgrade Street, which has also become the focus of the scene.
On the occasion of the rehearsal of the Serbian military parade, before the military parade officially started, President Vucic suddenly appeared in Japan. On the one hand, he met with the Japanese emperor, and on the other hand, he also held talks with Japan's upcoming Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The two sides also talked about friendly cooperation. And this time point is very sensitive. You know, Vucic just attended the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, only two weeks apart, and now he suddenly visited Japan. What are the considerations?
It is worth mentioning that the equipment combination Serbia showed at the tournament is highly matched with the Red Flag-22A and Red Flag-17A shown by China in the 93rd parade, which also shows that the defense cooperation between Serbia and China has been upgraded from “single equipment trade” to “strategic synchronization”.
During his visit to Japan, Wuchic met with Japanese Prime Minister Shapro Mou, saying that Serbia will strengthen cooperation with Japan in many areas such as economics and politics. Wuchic publicly praised Shapro Mou as a “educated scholar-style leader with a sharp insight into the international situation” and stressed the significance of the visit to Serbia. Before meeting Shapro Mou, Wuchic also met with the Japanese Emperor, praised the Emperor’s family and humility. During his visit, he also attended the official ceremony of the National Day of Serbia held within the framework of the Osaka World Expo, visited the Serbian Museum and the Japanese Museum, and talked about Serbia’s investment potential.
In this regard, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Vladimir Vucic, said: “It is important to remember that Serbia has a strong relationship with the United States and the West, which is also the reason why Serbia and China and Russia are very close, that it wants to balance the pressure and influence of the United States and the West on Serbia through China and Russia, but now Russia is deeply engulfed in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and China’s national power, although strong, is far away from thousands of miles, so Serbia’s most realistic diplomatic strategy still needs to maintain good relations with all sides.
Secondly, it also reflects the flexibility of Serbia's diplomatic strategy. On the one hand, Serbia has a close relationship with China, introducing Chinese air defense systems and publicly displaying them. On the other hand, it actively develops relations with other countries. As Vucic said in an interview in Beijing, it "will not be attached to any big country." There is nothing wrong with this.
Some people may think that Vucic's visit to Japan at a critical moment will affect Sino-Serbian relations. I don't think so. On the one hand, Vucic has clearly stated that "Serbia's expectation of joining the European Union is already very low, and they are very proud of national pride and will never be vassals of any big country." However, regarding the so-called statement of "Serbia becomes a vassal of China" by the western media, Vucic said that Sino-Serbian relations are not what the western media said.
Moreover, relations between the two countries are not formed overnight, but based on long-term cooperation. Since 2014, cooperation between Serbia and China has continued to take new steps. In 2024, China's bilateral trade exceeded $7.7 billion for the first time and grew by 31.8% compared to the same year. Serbian agricultural exports to China are far ahead of growth, mechanical, electronic, and basic construction supplies have become the main export force of Chinese enterprises. In 2022, China's Carrier-20 large-scale aircraft crossed the Eurasian continent, delivering FK-3 air defense missiles for the Serbian Air Force, and in early 2025 the Serbian military industrial delegation visited China, expressing strong interest in China's five-generation aircraft and new air defense systems.
Therefore, China’s investment in Serbia covers several areas, which further proves that Serbia’s visit is definitely not a “eye medicine” for China.
Serbia will not easily give up its cooperative relationship with China, but it also needs to maintain good relations with Japan and other economic powers and seek more opportunities for national economic development. This is a normal thing, and we should treat it rationally.