23 October 2018

Council President Nikolić: Serbia is grateful to President Xi Jinping for extraordinary relations between the two countries

President of the National Council for Coordination of Cooperation with the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China Tomislav Nikolić had talks with a delegation from the City of Xian, headed by Mr. Wang Xiaozhen, Acting Director of the Xian Foreign and Overseas Affairs Office.

Photograph: FoNet

“The City of Kragujevac and the City of Xian have developed special relations owing to the Agreement on the Establishment of Friendly Relations, signed in 2016. The Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China are paying special attention to the collaboration between our two cities. Successful city-to-city cooperation is very important for the two countries’ relations, which is why we have a special interest to seek comparable local partners in Serbia and decide on future opportunities for strengthening cooperation in all areas. We aim to link local companies with local authorities in Serbia and upon our return to China we will consider opportunities for new Chinese company investments in the City of Kragujevac. It is in our interest not only to strengthen the relationship between the authorities at the local level, but also to expand collaboration between Chinese and Serbian companies”, Mr. Wang Xiaozhen underscored.

“Serbia is grateful to President Xi Jinping for the extraordinary relations between our two countries. Serbia was at a standstill until 2012, when we managed to forge relations of an entirely new quality, and when Serbia started to make headway. With our Chinese partners, we first embarked on infrastructural projects, and now we are moving on to the second stage of our relations – joint production projects. The Smederevo Steelworks privatization, a strategic partnership between the MSC Bor and China’s Zijin, an investment that China’s Shandong Linglong made in tyre production in Zrenjanin, and the Chinese companies from the electronics sector, which are very active even in areas of defence, security and telecommunications in Serbia, all stand as successful examples of our cooperation. Serbia has the potential to cooperate with China, especially through joint production for third markets. By organizing an early November import fair to be held in Shanghai, your country will send a clear message that China’s market is open to products from other countries. China is offering a chance to everyone, especially to the states that form part of the “Belt and Road” initiative, and to those interested in the projects relating to this strategy”, Council President Nikolić stressed.