5 June 2018

National Council President and Members, Serbian Government Ministers, talk with representatives of SINO-CHINA Investment Group

President of the National Council for Coordination of Cooperation with the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China Tomislav Nikolić and National Council Members: Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić, Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antić, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, had a meeting today in Belgrade with representatives of the SINO-CHINA Investment Group Shanghai, headed by Mr. Jin Frank Li, Chairman of SINO-RS.

Photograph: FoNet

In the meeting, Mr. Jin Frank Li presented in detail the idea to set up an Investment Fund to finance projects in areas of transport, energy, telecommunications, agriculture and construction industry, among others, to be carried out in Serbia with the support and participation of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. He particularly highlighted that Serbia was China’s friend and one of the countries vital for implementing China’s global “Belt and Road” initiative.

Council President Nikolić and Council Members, Serbian Government Ministers, hailed in principle the idea of executing projects through PPP model, and not through typical borrowing, while jointly observing that, in order for projects to be implemented through the Investment Fund, it is imperative to ensure that the legal framework be applied in Serbia, and that mutual support and agreement were crucial for implementing this project type.

The interlocutors suggested that relevant Ministries should coordinate and come up with a cost-effective pilot project, one that is most likely to fit the proposed timeline, as a precursor to other projects to be carried out in tandem with Chinese partners.