Premier Li Keqiang on Dec 23 sent a congratulatory message to his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, for the launch of the Serbian section of the Belgrade-Budapest high-speed rail project.

In the message, Premier Li hailed the railway as a flagship project for China, Serbia and Hungary, saying the launch marks a new starting point of China’s cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries.

“China is willing to work with the Serbian side, as well as the Hungarian side, to push for efficient construction of the railway to make sure of its quality and completion on time,” Premier Li said.

“The railway is expected to improve regional infrastructure and interconnectivity, and contribute to European integration. It will also help deepen cooperation between China and Europe in industrial capacity and investment,” the Premier said.

On the launch ceremony, Vucic described the railway as a breakthrough of China-Serbia cooperation.

“The railway narrows the distance between Serbia and the center of Europe, which will help build Serbia into a regional hub of transportation and logistics,” he said.

The railway is expected to be put in use in 2018, according to Vucic.