China says ready to work with Serbia's new government after Vucic concedes defeat
- Beijing pledges to strengthen bilateral ties as student-backed electoral list leads projections following Sunday's general elections
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- Beijing pledges to strengthen bilateral ties as student-backed electoral list leads projections following Sunday's general elections
By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) - China on Monday said it was ready to work with Serbia's new government after former President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Sunday's general elections.
"China always maintains non-interference in other (countries') internal affairs and respects the independent choices of the people," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.
Guo said Beijing attached great importance to its relations with Serbia and was ready to cooperate with the country's new administration.
He said China is ready to work with the new government "on the basis of equality and mutual respect to enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust and work for the steady development of China-Serbia relations."
The Students Win electoral list was projected to secure 139 seats in Serbia's 250-member National Assembly, compared with 104 for Vucic's United Serbia coalition.
The projections were released by polling agency Ipsos and the Center for Free Elections and Democracy, or CeSID, based on approximately 60% of the processed sample.
Sunday's elections followed months of student-led protests and marked the end of Vucic's 14 years in power, during which Serbia strengthened relations with China.
Riyaz Khaliq Khaliq