Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic greeted Chinese doctors who arrived in Serbia on Saturday, kissing the Chinese flag in a show of gratitude for the country's timely support against COVID-19.

"The arrival of Chinese health professionals is of great importance to us because they were the first to defeat the great enemy of today: COVID-19," Vucic said.

"Everything on this plane is free-of-charge assistance, a donation from the People's Republic of China. We should thank them with all our hearts, they have proven to be great friends of Serbia and Serbs," he added.

Serbia's largest aircraft, the Airbus A330, landed in from China with the largest shipment of aid to Serbia including medical devices, security equipment and 6 Chinese experts.

The medical aid packages that came from China read in Chinese language and in Cyrillic: "The friendship of steel, we share the good and the evil!" with a heart that had the flag of Serbia on one side, and the flag of China on the other.

Chinese President Xi said in a letter received by Serbian President Vucic that China supports Serbia's efforts to fight the coronavirus and will provide it with material and medical assistance, provide support in procuring essential goods from China, as well as professional assistance.

China's ambassador to Belgrade, Chen Bo, said the aid was a sign of the "iron friendship" between the two countries.

Serbian authorities have reported 171 people who have tested positive for coronavirus and one related death.

The government introduced tighter measures on Friday including closing down cafes, restaurants and parks and enacted a curfew from 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) until 5 a.m. (0400 GMT).

Vucic said that one of the halls at Belgrade Fair will be turned into a hospital with 3,000 beds to accommodate people infected with coronavirus.