Serbian president wraps up China trip

HANGZHOU Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic is in Shanghai on Thursday, where he is wrapping up his four-day visit to the People's Republic of China. On Wednesday, he conferred with the governor and other officials of the Zhejiang province, who, according to reports, voiced strong friendly ties with Serbs and expressed the willingness to cooperate with Serbia. Serbian president wraps up China trip Secretary of the China's Communist Party for Zhejiang province Xia Baolong said that the two nations share close ties in their hearts although they are rather far apart in geographic terms. Addressing Nikolic, the secretary qualified him as China's good friend and a fighter for the well-being of the people of Serbia. Xia said that Serbia and China will ensure a better life for their citizens through various modes of cooperation. Xia also said that Zhejiang is proud that Nikolic came to visit the province during his first official stay in China. Nikolic agreed that the two countries have a lot in common, as they share "a similar history of liberation fight and struggles to preserve their territorial integrity." “China's aim is one China, and Serbia's goal is one Serbia. China has its Chinese dream and Serbia has its Serbian dream,” Nikolic said and noted that Serbia will not renounce its southern province of Kosovo and Metohija where ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence. (Beta/AP, file) "China's 'Silicon Valley'" President Tomislav Nikolic visited the science and technology park in Hangzhou which is considered China's Silicon Valley, and he also had a tour of the Alibaba electronics company and Geely car manufacturer. The hi-tech park covering 85 square kilometres is home to 320,000 people, half of them university degree holders. According to the host, the park also has one of the three biggest software bases in China and it employs 1,100 software companies, and the revenues last year totalled CNY 81 billion. In the hi-tech park, small and midsize companies take special place and the return of young Chinese citizens who went abroad for education purposes is highly valued. Stating that life stops without science, Nikolic said that China did not allow this to happen and changed its production philosophy by reducing its reliance on foreign brands and focusing on its own production. On the other hand, Nikolic noted that businessmen from Serbia for quite a while have had nobody to turn to in search of knowledge and hi-tech because Serbia failed to create the conditions for best students to stay in the country or return upon completing their studies abroad, which is why Serbia is relying on foreign science as it is. This is why the cooperation with China would be intense and Serbia will try to develop its science sector, which is a long-term process, the Serbian president said. Addressing the hi-tech park management, Nikolic said that without the park, the current level of development in China would have not been possible and added that Serbia wishes to cooperate with China in all sectors. Nikolic had a tour of the Alibaba electronics company which turned famous worldwide by means of Taobao portal, an online shopping network. The network is used by 100 million people and it has the all-pay system of payments which brings in the daily turnout of CNY 10 billion (USD 1.6 billion). Nikolic also visited the research centre of Geely car manufacturer as the first private company of its kind in China which purchased Sweden's Volvo in 2010. The company does business outside China as well, and it has plants in Egypt, Uruguay, Russia, Ukraine, Iraq and Sri Lanka and it has 10 models on offer on the global market currently. Nikolic had a chance to see some of the models produced by the company and watch a car crash experiment staged on this occasion. Addressing the management of the hi-tech park, Nikolic said that he is greatly pleased by the chance to visit the factory and China as a whole, and wished them great progress in the time to come, as well as a positive cooperation with Serbia. Tanjug

Serbian president wraps up China trip

Secretary of the China's Communist Party for Zhejiang province Xia Baolong said that the two nations share close ties in their hearts although they are rather far apart in geographic terms.

Addressing Nikolić, the secretary qualified him as China's good friend and a fighter for the well-being of the people of Serbia. Xia said that Serbia and China will ensure a better life for their citizens through various modes of cooperation.

Xia also said that Zhejiang is proud that Nikolić came to visit the province during his first official stay in China.

Nikolić agreed that the two countries have a lot in common, as they share "a similar history of liberation fight and struggles to preserve their territorial integrity."

“China's aim is one China, and Serbia's goal is one Serbia. China has its Chinese dream and Serbia has its Serbian dream,” Nikolić said and noted that Serbia will not renounce its southern province of Kosovo and Metohija where ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence.

"China's 'Silicon Valley'"

President Tomislav Nikolić visited the science and technology park in Hangzhou which is considered China's Silicon Valley, and he also had a tour of the Alibaba electronics company and Geely car manufacturer.

The hi-tech park covering 85 square kilometres is home to 320,000 people, half of them university degree holders.

According to the host, the park also has one of the three biggest software bases in China and it employs 1,100 software companies, and the revenues last year totalled CNY 81 billion.

In the hi-tech park, small and midsize companies take special place and the return of young Chinese citizens who went abroad for education purposes is highly valued.

Stating that life stops without science, Nikolić said that China did not allow this to happen and changed its production philosophy by reducing its reliance on foreign brands and focusing on its own production.

On the other hand, Nikolić noted that businessmen from Serbia for quite a while have had nobody to turn to in search of knowledge and hi-tech because Serbia failed to create the conditions for best students to stay in the country or return upon completing their studies abroad, which is why Serbia is relying on foreign science as it is.

This is why the cooperation with China would be intense and Serbia will try to develop its science sector, which is a long-term process, the Serbian president said. Addressing the hi-tech park management, Nikolić said that without the park, the current level of development in China would have not been possible and added that Serbia wishes to cooperate with China in all sectors.

Nikolić had a tour of the Alibaba electronics company which turned famous worldwide by means of Taobao portal, an online shopping network.

The network is used by 100 million people and it has the all-pay system of payments which brings in the daily turnout of CNY 10 billion (USD 1.6 billion).

Nikolić also visited the research centre of Geely car manufacturer as the first private company of its kind in China which purchased Sweden's Volvo in 2010.

The company does business outside China as well, and it has plants in Egypt, Uruguay, Russia, Ukraine, Iraq and Sri Lanka and it has 10 models on offer on the global market currently.

Nikolić had a chance to see some of the models produced by the company and watch a car crash experiment staged on this occasion.

Addressing the management of the hi-tech park, Nikolić said that he is greatly pleased by the chance to visit the factory and China as a whole, and wished them great progress in the time to come, as well as a positive cooperation with Serbia.