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/PRNewswire/ — China and Serbia cling long been eminent for their ironclad friendship. The bond between the two worldwide locations continues to enhance with frequent exchanges between their leaders. As Chinese language President Xi Jinping will pay his second mutter visit to the European country in the impending days, expectations are running excessive that the ironclad friendship between the two worldwide locations would possibly be further enriched and reinforced.
Earlier than the loads of visit, World Instances newshounds Shan Jie, Xie Wenting and Zhao Juecheng (GT) interviewed Chinese language Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming (Li). The ambassador affords a profound uncover about at the unparalleled China-Serbia family members, underscored by a shared history and a brilliant cultural replace, while emphasizing Serbia’s integral feature in the Belt and Avenue Initiative and the affect of the China-Serbia Free Alternate Agreement on financial collaboration.
GT: You can well possibly also cling been serving because the Chinese language Ambassador to Serbia since final September. What impressions has Serbia made on you ultimately of these past months? Because the most fresh Chinese language ambassador, what message would you would favor to express to the native americans?
Li: Serbia is a uniquely charming country. Positioned in Central and Jap Europe in the Balkan position, it boasts a smartly to set history and brilliant culture the put Jap and Western civilizations cling met and mingled over millennia, producing major achievements in human civilization. Moreover, Serbia is blessed with stunning natural beauty, from its huge plains and river valleys to its mountainous landscapes, all charming to verify out.
What impressed me most used to be the heat of Serbian americans and their profound friendship with the Chinese language americans. Both worldwide locations watch every reasonably a pair of as “ironclad mates,” a bond no longer easiest rooted in our historical traditions nevertheless also thriving anew in the fresh generation.
Upon arriving in Serbia, I was happy to gaze a ramification of fruitful Chinese language-Serbian collaborations taking root and flourishing, and to genuinely feel the heat, friendly enhance of the Serbian americans for our bilateral cooperation.
As President Xi has acknowledged, “The modernization we’re pursuing just isn’t any longer for China by myself, nevertheless for all developing worldwide locations by our joint efforts.” I’m confident that below the cautious steering and management of our heads of mutter, China-Serbia family members will proceed to yield fruitful outcomes in the fresh generation, bringing tangible advantages to both peoples and setting a mannequin for the position and the sphere.
GT: How finish you review the most fresh mutter of China-Serbia family members? Wherein areas finish you suggest to deepen cooperation?
Li: China and Serbia are shut mates and companions, sharing an ironclad friendship that has endured by history and stays brilliant amid global changes. The frequent interactions between our leaders cling charted the course for our relationship. In most modern years, President Xi and President Aleksandar Vucic cling met more than one times and maintained a shut communication. In October 2023President Vucic led basically the most attention-grabbing-ever Serbian delegation to China for the Third Belt and Avenue Forum for World Cooperation. Below the strategic steering of both leaders, our comprehensive strategic partnership maintains unparalleled pattern, with shut exchanges in any admire stages and unwavering mutual enhance on complications of core hobby and most major be troubled, deepening political belief.
Our financial and replace cooperation has reinforced both economies. Bilateral replace continues to grow, with China being Serbia’s largest source of imports, second-largest trading partner, and a major converse investor. Serbian Zijin Mining Group, HeSteel Group (HBIS) Group Serbia Iron & Steel, and Serbian Zijin Copper firm, all Chinese language-funded enterprises, defective amongst Serbia’s top exporters. Below the Belt and Avenue Initiative, our infrastructure projects stand out, including the Belgrade Zemun-Borca Bridge, the principle bridge built by a Chinese language firm in Europeand the E763 toll road, the principle toll road constructed by a Chinese language firm in Europe. The Hungary-Serbia railway, a flagship BRI mission, marks China’s first excessive-disappear rail mission in Europe and the principle in the Central and Jap European position.
Cultural exchanges cling also bridged our friendship. The frail bond between our worldwide locations has been reinforced by reciprocal visa exemptions, mutual utilizing license recognition, and converse flights. The hobby in Chinese language culture stays excessive in Serbia. The Spring Competition of the 365 days of the Dragon saw the Chinese language Embassy in Serbia host a series of popular “Snug Spring Competition” occasions. With the establishment of the Chinese language Cultural Heart in BelgradeChina-Serbia cultural exchanges cling obtained a fresh platform.
China will proceed to work with Serbia, guided by the most major consensus of our leaders, leveraging mechanisms such because the China-Serbia Free Alternate Agreement and the Belt and Avenue mid-term motion plot. We can deepen cooperation in frail fields and disappear up pattern in digital and green economies, exploring fresh skill in innovation, fresh energy, biotechnology, and environmental protection. Only currently, Chinese language automakers Chery, Geely, and Lynk & Co showcased their merchandise at the Belgrade Motor Demonstrate, including highlights to China-Serbia financial and replace cooperation. I mediate the scope of our collaborative endeavors will easiest expand, broadening the path of cooperation between the two worldwide locations.
GT: On your watch, how has the BRI impacted China-Serbia family members and cooperation? Please ingredient two worthwhile cooperation projects you cling seen.
Li: Serbia is a key partner in the BRI, being amongst the principle European worldwide locations to model a cooperation settlement with China. The combination of the BRI into Serbia’s nationwide pattern over the final decade serves as a mannequin for the worldwide community. Initiatives relish the Hungary-Serbia railway, the Belgrade Ring Avenue, the Sava River Bridge, and the Smederevo steel plant cling vastly improved the each day lives of locals, boosting employment, replace, and investment, and injecting fresh vigor into Serbia’s pattern. Amongst these, the Smederevo steel plant and the Hungary-Serbia railway stand out as exemplary cases.
The Smederevo steel plant, once hailed because the pride of Serbia and boasting over a century of history, confronted closure resulting from mismanagement. In 2016, below the BRI, China’s HBIS signed with the Serbian government to put HBIS Group Serbia Iron & Steel. In no longer up to six months, the steel plant grew to change into worthwhile after seven years of losses, turning into Serbia’s largest exporter for four consecutive years. Importantly, all 5,000 Serbian workers cling been retained, rekindling hope for thousands of households and exemplifying the success of China-Serbia cooperation below the Belt and Avenue framework.
In 2013, the Hungary-Serbia railway mission used to be launched rapidly after the implementation of the BRI. In 2022, the Belgrade-Novi Sad share of the Hungary-Serbia railway used to be accomplished and opened to traffic, reducing the commute time between the two cities from 90 minutes to Half-hour. Over the final two years, the Belgrade-Novi Sad share has transported over 7 million passengers.
Alive to on the mission, President Vucic said, “It is a major change for the Serbian americans and your total country.” The Serbia share of the Hungary-Serbia railway line is anticipated to be accomplished by the tip of 2024, and it is believed that this would possibly maybe occasionally change into the “avenue to happiness” and “avenue to prosperity” for the Serbian americans, as smartly as a avenue of friendship between China and Serbia.
Below the steering of the BRI, China and Serbia will proceed to uphold the thought of planning collectively, constructing collectively and benefiting collectively, focusing on connectivity and reaching fresh incandescent results in coverage communication, facility connectivity, replace facilitation, financial integration, and americans-to-americans bonds.
GT: What fresh impetus has the China-Serbia Free Alternate Agreement (FTA) injected into the financial and replace cooperation between the two worldwide locations and what has it finished?
Li: The China-Serbia FTA is the principle free replace settlement signed between China and a Central and Jap European country, and it is miles on the total the twenty second free replace settlement signed by China. Serbia has change into China’s 29th free replace partner globally.
After the settlement comes into finish, both worldwide locations’ citizens and corporations will income from it. Serbian producers and merchants can actively extinguish the quite loads of the free replace scheme between the two worldwide locations to acquire entry to most major user markets worldwide, and attract Chinese language and European merchants to make investments in Serbia.
Serbia has made excessive-stage commitments in sectors similar to manufacturing, construction, and info communication, offering Chinese language corporations with better roam in the park and broader alternatives to uncover the Serbian market and even the Central and Jap European markets.
The China-Serbia FTA will aid all facets to total excessive-stage mutual openness, put fresh institutional arrangements for bilateral financial and replace cooperation, extinguish a more favorable, handy, clear, and accurate commercial atmosphere for corporations from both worldwide locations, and inject fresh momentum into selling excessive-quality joint construction of the BRI and deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Serbia.
GT: Please introduce the Belgrade China Cultural Heart to our readers. How finish that you simply can well very smartly be feeling regarding the cultural and americans-to-americans exchanges between the two worldwide locations? What actions finish we uncover about forward to in the advance future?
Li: The Belgrade China Cultural Heart holds a genuinely special position and significance amongst the dozens of Chinese language cultural services out of the country. It stands on the positioning of the outmoded Chinese language Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Belgradewhich used to be bombed by NATO in 1999, symbolizing the rebirth and indomitable spirit of the Chinese language nation. It bears gaze to the deep friendship cast by the Chinese language and Serbian people with blood and life, and likewise demonstrates the Chinese language americans’s esteem for peace and their nationwide character of no longer fearing power.
The cultural heart has now started working, turning staunch into a handy window for the Serbian americans to uncover about China and abilities Chinese language culture. It has change into a fresh platform for telling Chinese language experiences and showcasing China’s photos, as smartly as a bridge for selling cultural exchanges and mutual finding out between China and Serbia.
The cultural heart no longer easiest affords alternatives for Chinese language cultural displays and teaching similar to calligraphy, tea art, musical instruments, dance, and martial arts, nevertheless also specializes in constructing its be pleased cultural label actions. In May maybe possibly well 2024the center will host the principle “Tea and the World” tournament along side World Tea Day, adopted by the principle China-Serbia Dragon Boat Competition, the 2024 Chinese language Film Week, and the “Hi there! China” tourism promotion tournament.
GT: What exemplary feature and obvious affect cling China-Serbia family members played on the cooperation between China and Central and Jap European (CEE) Countries?
Li: As a a must-cling country in Central and Jap EuropeSerbia is strolling hand in hand with Chinaand bilateral family members are progressively developing. This no longer easiest fashions an instance for cooperation between China and CEE worldwide locations below the BRI, nevertheless also injects more stability into China’s family members with Central and Jap European worldwide locations. The worthwhile practice of China-Serbia cooperation completely proves that China and CEE worldwide locations can change into true mates and companions in the system of jointly transferring towards modernization.
China is willing to work along with worldwide locations in Central and Jap Europe to firmly take care of shut the final path and first tone of the pattern of bilateral family members from a strategic height, admire every reasonably a pair of, finish mutual income and receive-receive results, and promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
GT: What’s your rob on President Vucic’s most modern remarks on the Taiwan establish a query to? How cling China and Serbia supported every reasonably a pair of on complications relating to every reasonably a pair of’s core pursuits?
Li: First and most major of this year, in an interview with China’s mutter news company, President Vucic aged 10 seconds as an instance Serbia’s company position of adhering to the one-China thought, after which in an interview with the media, he clearly acknowledged that Taiwan belongs to China.
President Vucic’s remarks on the Taiwan establish a query to no longer easiest spoke to the coolest call of the worldwide community, nevertheless also strongly demonstrated, over again, that China and Serbia cling continuously firmly supported every reasonably a pair of’s core pursuits and most major concerns, and firmly supported every reasonably a pair of’s pattern path different.
China and Serbia are true mates and true companions who belief every reasonably a pair of. Through the years, Serbia has firmly supported China on complications connected to Taiwan, Hong KongXinjiang, and human rights, and China has continuously firmly supported Serbia in safeguarding nationwide sovereignty and territorial integrity. China is willing to proceed to admire, enhance, belief, and treat every reasonably a pair of as equals with Serbia and push forward the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two worldwide locations.
