Serbia seeks Chinese investment boost as exports soar
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, met with China's leader Xi Jinping in Moscow on Friday and asked him to encourage Chinese investors to expand their business operations in Serbia. Vučić noted that Serbian exports to China have increased 200-fold over the past decade.
President Aleksandar Vučić assured Xi Jinping that "all joint infrastructure projects between Belgrade and Beijing in Serbia are progressing successfully." "China is beginning to mean as much to us as air," stated the Serbian president, as quoted by the Tanjug agency.
"Just last year, we increased our trade exchange by 30% compared to the year before. There is still significant room for improvement in this area," Vučić assured. He noted that the construction of a train factory in Serbia by Chinese investors will soon be announced. After the meeting, he observed that two of the three largest exporters in Serbia are Chinese companies.
The President of Serbia also thanked Xi for the support provided to his country at the UN. "Thank you for protecting the territorial integrity of Serbia. On our part, I can assure you that it is also clear to us that there is only one China," said Vučić.
Like China, Serbia, Russia, and five members of the European Union do not recognize the independence of Kosovo—a former southern province of Serbia, which declared independence in 2008.
The politicians previously participated in the Victory Day celebrations, commemorating the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. Vučić is one of the few European leaders who came to Russia for this occasion. Besides him, the celebrations were attended by the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, the President of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, and Željka Cvijanović, representing the Serbs in the BiH Presidency.
