Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan are greeted by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and his wife upon their arrival at the airport of Belgrade, Serbia, June 17, 2016. Xi started a state visit to Serbia Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]

Related: Chinese president arrives in Serbia for state visit

China will work with Serbia to upgrade pragmatic cooperation to a higher level, President Xi Jinping said on Friday afternoon.

Xi made the remarks during a speech at the Belgrade airport where he was welcomed by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

Xi is on a three-day state visit to Serbia - the first of its kind by a Chinese head of state since Serbia's independence in June, 2006.

In an article published on Thursday by Politika, a daily Serbian newspaper, Xi proposed more cooperation on major projects, saying China wanted to share development opportunities and achievements with Serbia.

The two countries should increase bilateral trade and investment to benefit people in both nations, Xi said.