Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem falling within the competence of the Government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem does not fall within our competence, we will forward your message to the competent institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Chinese investments have stimulated Serbia’s economic development

Belgrade/Shanghai, 5 November 2023

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke today at the opening ceremony of the 6^th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, saying that our country is proud of participating in this event as a guest of honour for the first time.

Brnabic underlined that Serbia’s participation in the fair confirms its desire to strengthen ties and steel friendship with China.

The fact that Serbia is one of several countries guests of honour describes the quality of our relations and gives a hint of the future cooperation, the Prime Minister underlined. She pointed out that Serbia’s pavilion at the 6^th CIIE in Shanghai only confirms that the economic cooperation between the two countries is yet to realise its full potential in the coming years.

Noting that in the history of mankind it was a rare case that big states entered into strategic relations with smaller countries, Brnabic underlined that China showed respect to Serbia precisely in that way, building with it a true and sincere friendship.

Today China is a pioneer and leader in many things, and Serbia is invited and is attending the fair as a partner and friend, but also as a strong advocate of liberalisation of international trade, which we believe contributes to peace and stability, the Prime Minister stated.

She assessed that the presence of countries from all over the world at the China International Import Expo also shows the range of the Belt and Road Initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding that China is opening its doors.

She pointed out that Serbia was one of the first countries to understand the importance of the international import fair, and since then we have been present with a wide range of offers.

According to the Prime Minister, in the past six years, the strategic partnership and steel friendship between the two countries have been strengthened, and bilateral cooperation has reached an exceptional level thanks to the personal relationship between President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and President of China Xi Jinping.

In the last four years, from 2018 to 2022, trade has grown 2.7 times, and Serbia's exports to China have grown as much as 12.7 times, which confirms the openness of the Chinese market to partners from Serbia, said the Prime Minister, adding that in the same period, China took first place among investors in Serbia and held that position in 2021, 2022, as well as in the first half of 2023, which stimulated the economic development of our country.

The result is that Chinese investors are the biggest exporters. With the arrival of Zijin Mining, significant changes took place and Serbia became the second copper producer in Europe. The positive impact of Chinese investments on the Serbian economy is immeasurable, Brnabic emphasised.

She also stated that Chinese investors employ more than 28,000 people in Serbia, expressing her belief that cooperation will intensify in the future.

Brnabic also recalled that President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic recently visited China and that 18 agreements were signed on that occasion, including the Free Trade Agreement with China.

New areas of cooperation are also ahead of us, such as the digital economy, science and technological innovation, said the Prime Minister and invited the guests of the fair to visit Serbia and participate in the EXPO 2027 international exhibition.