Commentator Jaksic: Vucic’s China visit a strategic failure, Serbia faces deepening polarisation

“Vucic will once again present himself to part of the Serbian public, whom he has in many ways bewitched, as a great leader, a man who communicates with the presidents of Russia and China, undoubtedly important countries. But what are the actual results? That is another matter entirely. Even the marketing aspect was problematic, as we saw from the photos where he was sidelined. Still, he sends out images with Xi and Putin, and that is what matters to him,” Jaksic said.

He described the visit as confirmation of a broader failure of Serbian foreign policy. “Vucic realises that the EU is not a reliable ally, despite having some contacts, including Ursula von der Leyen. Instead, he focuses on building ties with Americans and the Chinese, two rival powers. Not even God could reconcile that, let alone Vucic, who sees himself as a maestro of geopolitics. It’s a game from which Serbia cannot benefit,” the commentator stated, adding that the regional dimension of foreign policy has also been neglected.

Turning to domestic politics, Jaksic argued that the President is attempting to defend his “imperial power” by creating a parallel world opposed to the reality of a deeply divided Serbia.

“I have the impression that Vucic is trying to preserve his rule through what I would call a mass transfusion of the people. He creates his own world, partially real, partially virtual, opposed to the real world of a sharply divided Serbia. He invents his own prosecutors, judges, lawyers, pupils, students, teachers, and professors. He has his own bikers, his own veterans. This is a completely parallel world designed to protect him, in addition to the 17,000 loyalists who swore loyalty in blood,” Jaksic said.

According to him, this contributes to an ever-greater degree of polarisation in Serbian society. “It has become so dangerous that we can say civil war is no longer just an abstract term when speaking about Serbia,” he warned.