23 July 2018

Deputy Director at the Institute of World Economics and Politics thanks Council President Nikolić for his support on the “Belt and Road” initiative implementation in Serbia

President of the National Council for Coordination of Cooperation with the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China Tomislav Nikolić had a meeting today with representatives of the Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, led by Mr. Chen Guoping, Deputy Director at IWEP. The meeting was also attended by H. E. Li Manchang, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Serbia.

Photograph: Office of the National Council

Mr. Chen Guoping thanked Council President Nikolić for his support on the “Belt and Road” initiative implementation in Serbia, underlining that he highly appreciated Mr. Nikolić’s positive opinion about the results of China’s politics, its economic development and the “Belt and Road” implementation. “The aim of our delegation’s visit is to obtain more specific information about the results of the Chinese companies’ business operations within the “Belt and Road” initiative in Serbia. The “Belt and Road” strategy is promoted by our President Xi Jinping, and Chinese companies have to carry it through. The Institute of World Economics and Politics forms part of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and we have been instructed by the Government of China to examine the situation regarding the implementation of the “Belt and Road” initiative in Serbia. The Institute particularly wants to learn in what ways the Government of China can offer greater endorsement to Serbia when it comes to execution of projects within the “Belt and Road” initiative in your country”, Mr. Chen Guoping underlined.

Photograph: Office of the National Council

Council President Nikolić stressed that he was content with the existing bilateral cooperation, adding that the Serbia-China cooperation evolved in three directions: “The first area of cooperation pertains to road infrastructure, energy and the economy in general. It is in these areas that China will have to come up with new models of cooperation, since Serbia has obligations towards international institutions, primarily towards the IMF. New forms of cooperation could include concessions, joint investments and an agreed timeline for investment return. The second area of cooperation refers to investments in the economy and production. Serbia maintains a free-trade regime with almost all countries in the world – China thus stands a good chance to cut down on expenditure, primarily on the costs of goods transport. Serbia can produce a variety of goods, especially in the food industry. The third area that could deepen the two countries’ cooperation pertains to investments in agriculture, tourism and in the health system. Serbia has many spas with healing springs, and some of them are up for sale”, Mr. Nikolić emphasized.

Council President Nikolić also expressed his expectation that the Sino-Serbian cooperation in social sciences would grow stronger, underscoring that Serbia is home to many learned individuals, and that the Serbian expertise should be fully tapped into.