200-strong Chinese business delegation in Belgrade next week

200-strong Chinese business delegation in Belgrade next week

The arrival of the Chinese premier in Belgrade is a big event for both China and Serbia. I expect it to be a great opportunity to promote further development of bilateral relations, especially in economic terms, Ambassador Li said in a statement to Tanjug, pointing out that it was the first visit by a Chinese premier to Belgrade in 28 years.

A delegation headed by the Chinese Prime Minister will comprise more than a hundred members, and about 200 businesspeople will come to take part in a business forum, said the ambassador.

Given that a lot of companies are coming, it is a great opportunity for Chinese businesspeople to have first-hand knowledge of the situation in Serbia, and the effect will be seen after the visit, said the Chinese ambassador.

The slogan of this summit is “new engine, new power, new platform,” said Li, stressing that after Warsaw and Bucharest, this third edition of the Summit was for the first time taking place in a country that is not a member of the European Union.

Expectations from the summit are high given that it will be a rare opportunity for so many state leaders to meet in one place in a relatively short period of time, said Li.

The talks that the Chinese premier will have with the 16 prime ministers, as well as talks the prime ministers will have between them will help step up regional cooperation, he said.

In particular between China and Serbia, we expect that we will carry out a project, such as the Belgrade-Budapest railway, and then make another step forward, Li said.

When it comes to Chinese investments in Serbia, the ambassador said that Block 1 at the Kostolac power plant, overhauled by a Chinese company, should be started soon, adding that he expected the Chinese side to officially approve a USD 600 million loan for the plant’s Block 2 and that the move was likely to be made during the Summit in Belgrade.

Chinese companies are interested in investing in power plants and agriculture, an area with great potential for cooperation, he said.

Ambassador Li also expressed satisfaction about knowing that a bridge on the Danube in Belgrade, another project carried out by a Chinese company, would be open during the Chinese prime minister’s visit, adding that the same company was already negotiating terms for the Belgrade city road bypass project with the Serbian side.

Asked how he saw Serbia’s position in terms of foreign affairs, the Chinese ambassador stressed that Serbia was "a self-reliable, sovereign and independent state," and he had personally fallen in love with the country during his student years in Belgrade, and that the feeling remained the same even now that he serves as ambassador.