Serbia¡¯s president expressed firm support of China¡¯s claim over Taiwan as he announced that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit the Balkan nation this year, cementing a bond even as Beijing¡¯s broader relationship with Europe frays.

¡°Taiwan is China ¡ª and it¡¯s up to you what, when and how you¡¯re going to do it ¡ª full stop,¡± Aleksandar Vucic said in an interview to Beijing-based CGTN, without elaborating. ¡°That¡¯s your territory, this is your people and you¡¯re a sovereign nation.¡±

The Serbian leader¡¯s wading into rising tensions over the Taiwan Strait sends a signal of allegiance to Beijing, with which Serbia has cultivated ties even as the European Union takes a tougher stance amid widening divisions over trade and Ukraine.