President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held talks with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic on the second leg of his European tour.

Xi said his visit to Serbia will open a new chapter in bilateral ties.

The president was greeted by Vucic outside the main government offices in central Belgrade.

Xi arrived in Serbia on Tuesday evening from France.

Later on Wednesday, Xi will head to Hungary for a state visit marking 75 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In an article published in the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, he noted that the upcoming visit would be his second to Hungary in 15 years.

The president wrote that the two countries stood together in solidarity over the years amid challenges such as the global financial crisis and Covid-19.

"Over the past 75 years, China and Hungary have remained good partners for win-win cooperation. Focusing on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, our two countries are strengthening synergy in development strategies and deepening results-oriented cooperation in such areas as investment, infrastructure, finance, new energy, and telecommunication technology," the article read.

"Our bilateral cooperation is strong, fruitful, and dynamic."

Xi stressed the need for Beijing and Budapest to further boost friendship and cooperation and to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges. (Xinhua and agencies)