18 March 2019

Success of MSC Bor and Zijin strategic partnership as the common goal of the Chinese and Serbian peoples

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 with a delegation of the China-based Zijin, headed by its President Mr. Lan Fusheng.

Photograph: National Council

“We in Serbia keep track of MSC Bor operations, in view of the fact that Zijin’s investment has been the largest single Chinese investment in Serbia so far. I expect you to transfer your know-how to employees and executives of MSC Bor, in order to jointly enhance its operations, modernize it and bring it on a par with Zijin China”, Council President Nikolić stressed.

“Everyone in Serbia holds high hopes in this project; furthermore, significant attention is being devoted to the project outside of Serbia, too. MSC Bor is an old mine, we have run into several real obstacles concerning strategic business decisions made by the previous management that will continue to affect the efficiency for a while. Since its beginnings in Serbia, Zijin has been introducing new business policies. Good performance results take time, and we are doing our very best to exceed the last year’s output. Production safety and environmental protection lie at the core of the company’s future. Zijin will do everything in its power to develop this project”, Mr. Lan Fusheng underscored.

Council President Nikolić pointed out that the Bor output used to hinge on striking the richest ore deposits and on a tight budget, while the extraction process evolved without a plan. “Therein lies the reason that you will sometimes underperform, as you will be rectifying the mistakes made by your predecessors. The success of the MSC Bor-Zijin strategic partnership is very important for the Serbian economy, which is why we will continue to devote huge importance and support to its successful implementation”, Council President Nikolić added.