President Xi Jinping's scheduled visits to Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan are expected to foster greater economic cooperation among countries involved in China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.

According to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang, Xi will start his eight-day visit to the three countries starting Friday this week.

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During the trip, Xi will participate in the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from June 23 and 24.

Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, pointed out that Xi's visit to the Central and East European (CEE) countries aim to push forward the initiatives under the China Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.

Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan are situated in key points within the Silk Road project.

"Central and Eastern European countries, including Serbia and Poland, are eager to develop ties with China to attract more Chinese investment," Wang said.

He added that China's position on the South China Sea issue is expected to be supported by the three European countries during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

In 2013, the Philippines filed an arbitration case against China concerning maritime disputes in the South China Sea with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

The court is expected to release its decision on the case in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Sun Yuxi, former Chinese ambassador to Poland, noted that the Central and East European (CEE) countries have collaborated with China on a number of big ticket projects.

These include the bridge across the Danube River in Belgrade, Serbia, which has given a major boost to infrastructure development in the CEE region, and has become a testament to the benefits of the China Silk Road Economic Belt initiative. 

Tagschina, China Silk Road, China Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative, Chinese President Xi jinping