China, Serbia launch joint police patrols in Hainan

At the invitation of China's Ministry of Public Security, Serbia's Ministry of Interior has dispatched eight police officers to South China's Hainan Province for a two-week joint patrol mission starting Friday, aimed at safeguarding the travel safety of citizens from both countries and deepening bilateral law enforcement cooperation, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday.

During the joint patrols, Serbian and Chinese police officers will form mixed teams and conduct patrols at tourist attractions in Sanya and Haikou. Serbian officers will assist Chinese police in addressing safety concerns raised by Serbian citizens in China and provide policing advice, helping create a safe and orderly environment for tourists, according to CCTV News.

The joint patrol team recently conducted patrols at Sanya International Duty-Free City, where officers assisted tourists and interacted with visitors, according to Hainan police.

"I haven't even entered the store yet, and the patrol officers have already caught my attention," Maria Radeva, a tourist from Bulgaria, was quoted as saying in an article published by Hainan Police Wechat account.

Radeva and her companions noticed the special patrol team at the entrance of the duty-free shopping complex and approached the officers to chat and take photos. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that Serbian police officers were also part of the team.

Speaking about her impression of public security in Sanya, Radeva repeatedly described the city as "safe" and said she was "very happy." She said the presence of the joint Chinese-Serbian patrol team made her feel both safe and at ease.

Radeva is spending four days and three nights in Sanya. Besides shopping at the duty-free city, she plans to experience Chinese culture and local customs with her companions. Encountering the joint patrol team became her first reassuring impression of Sanya, according to Hainan police.

At the duty-free complex, a tourist surnamed Chen from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, was shopping with his family when he saw the joint patrol team.

"I often see news about Chinese police officers conducting joint patrols overseas, but this is the first time I've seen foreign police officers patrolling in China. It's so cool," Chen said.

"Seeing Chinese and foreign police officers working side by side gives us a real sense of the country's openness and confidence, and it has added a special memory to our family trip," he said.

China and Serbia have conducted several joint police patrols, including in Belgrade, Serbia and in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province. The first joint patrol of Chinese and Serbian policemen was presented to the public in downtown Belgrade in 2019, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Police officers were set to conduct joint patrols at several locations in Belgrade that are considered either tourist attractions or important locations for Chinese citizens in order to make communication easier for them.

In September 2024, at the invitation of China's Ministry of Public Security, six police officers from Serbia came to China for a one-month joint police patrol mission. During the period, Serbian and Chinese police patrolled tourist attractions in Hainan and east China's Zhejiang Province. Under the agreement between China and Serbia, Serbian police will cooperate with their Chinese counterparts to meet the safety demands of Serbians in China and jointly create a safe tourism environment, according to Xinhua.

During the current mission, the two sides will conduct patrols at major tourist attractions including Nanshan, West Island, Luhuitou, Dadonghai, Tianya Haijiao and Wuzhizhou Island, as well as transportation hubs such as Sanya Railway Station and Phoenix International Airport.

The officers will jointly carry out public security patrols, assist tourists, exchange policing experience and help Chinese police address safety concerns involving Serbian citizens in China, according to the authorities.

Wang Yiwei, director of the Center for European Union Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that China-Serbia partnership goes beyond mutually beneficial economic cooperation, carrying a broader sense of shared interests and a shared future.