Serbian President Boris Tadic on Monday hailed the raising of the country's relations with China to a strategic partnership.

"This has made China one of the four pillars of Serbia's foreign policy," Tadic told Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie, who arrived in Belgrade on Saturday for a four-day official visit.

Tadic signed an agreement on the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Serbia during his state visit to China in August.

Serbia is keen to intensify and foster wide-ranging cooperation with China, in the areas such as economics, the military, the judiciary, culture, education, sport, science and technology, the president said.

He also congratulated the Chinese defense minister on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949.

Liang, who is also a Chinese state councilor, said China is willing to join hands with Serbia to promote pragmatic and profound cooperation between the two countries.

He said the armies of the two countries would make joint efforts to implement all the consensus reached by the heads of state of the two nations, and to explore the potential for further cooperation so as to further develop bilateral relations.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2009)