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/PRNewswire/ — China and Serbia possess prolonged been eminent for his or her ironclad friendship. The bond between the 2 worldwide locations continues to enhance with frequent exchanges between their leaders. As Chinese President Xi Jinping pays his second sigh depart to to the European country within the coming days, expectations are running high that the ironclad friendship between the 2 worldwide locations can be extra enriched and strengthened.
Forward of the indispensable depart to, World Times journalists Shan Jie, Xie Wenting and Zhao Juecheng (GT) interviewed Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming (Li). The ambassador offers a profound look on the sturdy China-Serbia family, underscored by a shared history and a moving cultural commerce, while emphasizing Serbia’s integral role within the Belt and Highway Initiative and the impact of the China-Serbia Free Replace Agreement on financial collaboration.
GT: It is seemingly you’ll presumably well presumably also objective had been serving because the Chinese Ambassador to Serbia since final September. What impressions has Serbia made on you at some level of these previous months? Because the present Chinese ambassador, what message would you adore to enlighten to the native folk?
Li: Serbia is a uniquely charming country. Situated in Central and Jap Europe within the Balkan field, it boasts a prosperous history and moving custom the set Jap and Western civilizations possess met and mingled over millennia, producing indispensable achievements in human civilization. Additionally, Serbia is blessed with gorgeous pure class, from its big plains and river valleys to its mountainous landscapes, all charming to appear.
What impressed me most used to be the warmth of Serbian folk and their profound friendship with the Chinese folk. Both worldwide locations gawk every diversified as “ironclad company,” a bond no longer easiest rooted in our historical traditions nonetheless additionally thriving anew within the unique generation.
Upon arriving in Serbia, I used to be cheerful to appear at a immense dedication of fruitful Chinese-Serbian collaborations taking root and flourishing, and to truly feel the warmth, pleasant enhance of the Serbian folk for our bilateral cooperation.
As President Xi has said, “The modernization we are pursuing is no longer for China by myself, nonetheless for all rising worldwide locations thru our joint efforts.” I am assured that below the cautious steering and leadership of our heads of sigh, China-Serbia family will proceed to yield fruitful outcomes within the unique generation, bringing tangible advantages to every peoples and atmosphere a model for the field and the field.
GT: How do you overview the present sigh of China-Serbia family? By which areas do you knowing to deepen cooperation?
Li: China and Serbia are shut company and partners, sharing an ironclad friendship that has persisted thru history and remains moving amid world modifications. The frequent interactions between our leaders possess charted the direction for our relationship. Presently, President Xi and President Aleksandar Vucic possess met multiple cases and maintained a shut communication. In October 2023President Vucic led the excellent-ever Serbian delegation to China for the Third Belt and Highway Forum for Global Cooperation. Beneath the strategic steering of every leaders, our comprehensive strategic partnership maintains sturdy pattern, with shut exchanges at all stages and unwavering mutual enhance on disorders of core hobby and main effort, deepening political belief.
Our financial and commerce cooperation has strengthened every economies. Bilateral commerce continues to develop, with China being Serbia’s excellent source of imports, second-excellent trading accomplice, and a indispensable inform investor. Serbian Zijin Mining Community, HeSteel Community (HBIS) Community Serbia Iron & Steel, and Serbian Zijin Copper company, all Chinese-funded enterprises, indecent among Serbia’s top exporters. Beneath the Belt and Highway Initiative, our infrastructure projects stand out, including the Belgrade Zemun-Borca Bridge, the main bridge constructed by a Chinese company in Europeand the E763 freeway, the main freeway constructed by a Chinese company in Europe. The Hungary-Serbia railway, a flagship BRI venture, marks China’s first high-rush rail venture in Europe and the main within the Central and Jap European field.
Cultural exchanges possess additionally bridged our friendship. The outmoded bond between our worldwide locations has been strengthened by reciprocal visa exemptions, mutual driving license recognition, and inform flights. The hobby in Chinese custom remains high in Serbia. The Spring Competition of the 365 days of the Dragon seen the Chinese Embassy in Serbia host a series of standard “Elated Spring Competition” events. With the institution of the Chinese Cultural Heart in BelgradeChina-Serbia cultural exchanges possess obtained a novel platform.
China will proceed to work with Serbia, guided by the necessary consensus of our leaders, leveraging mechanisms such because the China-Serbia Free Replace Agreement and the Belt and Highway mid-term motion knowing. We can deepen cooperation in outmoded fields and urge pattern in digital and inexperienced economies, exploring unique ability in innovation, unique vitality, biotechnology, and environmental security. Now no longer too prolonged ago, Chinese automakers Chery, Geely, and Lynk & Co showcased their merchandise on the Belgrade Motor Say, adding highlights to China-Serbia financial and commerce cooperation. I judge the scope of our collaborative endeavors will easiest make greater, broadening the trail of cooperation between the 2 worldwide locations.
GT: For your gawk, how has the BRI impacted China-Serbia family and cooperation? Please ingredient two successful cooperation projects you’ve observed.
Li: Serbia is a key accomplice within the BRI, being among the many indispensable European worldwide locations to signal a cooperation settlement with China. The integration of the BRI into Serbia’s nationwide pattern over the final decade serves as a model for the realm community. Tasks just like the Hungary-Serbia railway, the Belgrade Ring Highway, the Sava River Bridge, and the Smederevo steel plant possess vastly improved the day to day lives of locals, boosting employment, commerce, and funding, and injecting unique vigor into Serbia’s pattern. Amongst these, the Smederevo steel plant and the Hungary-Serbia railway stand out as exemplary circumstances.
The Smederevo steel plant, once hailed because the satisfaction of Serbia and boasting over a century of history, faced closure attributable to mismanagement. In 2016, below the BRI, China’s HBIS signed with the Serbian govt to place HBIS Community Serbia Iron & Steel. In lower than six months, the steel plant grew to became successful after seven years of losses, becoming Serbia’s excellent exporter for four consecutive years. Importantly, all 5,000 Serbian staff had been retained, rekindling hope for hundreds of households and exemplifying the success of China-Serbia cooperation below the Belt and Highway framework.
In 2013, the Hungary-Serbia railway venture used to be announced rapidly after the implementation of the BRI. In 2022, the Belgrade-Novi Sad share of the Hungary-Serbia railway used to be performed and opened to site site visitors, lowering the hunch time between the 2 cities from 90 minutes to half-hour. Over the final two years, the Belgrade-Novi Sad share has transported over 7 million passengers.
the venture, President Vucic said, “That is a indispensable switch for the Serbian folk and the total country.” The Serbia share of the Hungary-Serbia railway line is anticipated to be performed by the tip of 2024, and it is miles believed that this can became the “avenue to happiness” and “avenue to prosperity” for the Serbian folk, as effectively as a avenue of friendship between China and Serbia.
Beneath the steering of the BRI, China and Serbia will proceed to uphold the knowing of planning together, constructing together and benefiting together, specializing in connectivity and reaching unique moving outcomes in protection communication, facility connectivity, commerce facilitation, monetary integration, and folk-to-folk bonds.
GT: What unique impetus has the China-Serbia Free Replace Agreement (FTA) injected into the industrial and commerce cooperation between the 2 worldwide locations and what has it completed?
Li: The China-Serbia FTA is the main free commerce settlement signed between China and a Central and Jap European country, and it is miles additionally the Twenty second free commerce settlement signed by China. Serbia has became China’s 29th free commerce accomplice globally.
After the settlement comes into end, every worldwide locations’ voters and corporations will profit from it. Serbian producers and traders can actively make doubtlessly the lots of the free commerce plan between the 2 worldwide locations to fetch admission to main client markets worldwide, and attract Chinese and European investors to put money into Serbia.
Serbia has made high-level commitments in sectors equivalent to manufacturing, construction, and knowledge communication, providing Chinese corporations with increased certain guess and broader alternatives to explore the Serbian market and even the Central and Jap European markets.
The China-Serbia FTA could presumably well help every facet to do high-level mutual openness, place unique institutional preparations for bilateral financial and commerce cooperation, tag a extra favorable, handy, clear, and trusty enterprise surroundings for corporations from every worldwide locations, and inject unique momentum into selling high quality joint construction of the BRI and deepening the great strategic partnership between China and Serbia.
GT: Please introduce the Belgrade China Cultural Heart to our readers. How do you truly feel about the cultural and folk-to-folk exchanges between the 2 worldwide locations? What actions will we take a seat up for within the shut to future?
Li: The Belgrade China Cultural Heart holds a truly particular plot and significance among the many dozens of Chinese cultural centers out of the country. It stands on the set of the mature Chinese Embassy within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Belgradewhich used to be bombed by NATO in 1999, symbolizing the rebirth and indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation. It bears overview to the deep friendship solid by the Chinese and Serbian folk with blood and life, and additionally demonstrates the Chinese folk’s love for peace and their nationwide personality of no longer fearing power.
The cultural heart has now began running, becoming a handy window for the Serbian folk to learn about China and skills Chinese custom. It has became a novel platform for telling Chinese reports and showcasing China’s photography, as effectively as a bridge for selling cultural exchanges and mutual finding out between China and Serbia.
The cultural heart no longer easiest offers alternatives for Chinese cultural shows and instructing equivalent to calligraphy, tea art, musical instruments, dance, and martial arts, nonetheless additionally makes a speciality of constructing its possess cultural stamp actions. In Might maybe presumably presumably additionally objective 2024the center will host the main “Tea and the World” occasion in conjunction with Global Tea Day, adopted by the main China-Serbia Dragon Boat Competition, the 2024 Chinese Film Week, and the “Hi there! China” tourism promotion occasion.
GT: What exemplary role and definite impact possess China-Serbia family performed on the cooperation between China and Central and Jap European (CEE) Countries?
Li: As a necessary country in Central and Jap EuropeSerbia is strolling hand in hand with Chinaand bilateral family are progressively rising. This no longer easiest sets an instance for cooperation between China and CEE worldwide locations below the BRI, nonetheless additionally injects extra steadiness into China’s family with Central and Jap European worldwide locations. The successful put together of China-Serbia cooperation totally proves that China and CEE worldwide locations can became true company and partners within the technique of collectively transferring toward modernization.
China is appealing to work along with worldwide locations in Central and Jap Europe to firmly rob the total direction and indispensable tone of the mutter of bilateral family from a strategic top, admire every diversified, do mutual profit and salvage-salvage outcomes, and promote regional peace, steadiness, and prosperity.
GT: What’s your set shut on President Vucic’s contemporary remarks on the Taiwan set a query to? How possess China and Serbia supported every diversified on disorders relating every diversified’s core interests?
Li: First and main of this year, in an interview with China’s sigh data agency, President Vucic outdated 10 seconds as an instance Serbia’s agency plot of adhering to the one-China knowing, and then in an interview with the media, he clearly said that Taiwan belongs to China.
President Vucic’s remarks on the Taiwan set a query to no longer easiest spoke to the upright call of the realm community, nonetheless additionally strongly demonstrated, once extra, that China and Serbia possess continuously firmly supported every diversified’s core interests and main issues, and firmly supported every diversified’s pattern direction alternative.
China and Serbia are factual company and true partners who belief every diversified. Over the years, Serbia has firmly supported China on disorders connected to Taiwan, Hong KongXinjiang, and human rights, and China has continuously firmly supported Serbia in safeguarding nationwide sovereignty and territorial integrity. China is appealing to proceed to admire, enhance, belief, and treat every diversified as equals with Serbia and push forward the great strategic partnership between the 2 worldwide locations.