Valuable Contracts Signed with Chinese Companies

Fifteen Chinese state-owned enterprises signed today in Belgrade trade agreements with Serbian companies worth around half a billion dollars. The agreements were signed within the framework of business meetings of Serbian and Chinese companies, which, in cooperation with Chinese partners, were organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS).

Serbia and China have developed friendly relations that mark progress over the years. "From the declaration of strategic partnership until today, our close relations have been improved. Chinese companies have significant investments in Serbia. The Belt and Road Initiative contributed to the intensification of our cooperation, and there we see our chance for development," said Igor Kronja, Adviser to the President of the CCIS.
"We expect that the Free Trade Agreement between our countries will be signed by the end of the year, and today's event is an example of what our economic cooperation will look like when it is signed.
 The foreign trade exchange between China and Serbia last year amounted to 6.14 billion dollars, out of which our export was 1.1 billion", said the Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Goran Vesić. He recalled the important infrastructure projects that Chinese companies are implementing in Serbia, and expectations are that trade cooperation will be equally successful.

Li Xingqian, director general of the Department of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China emphasized that China and Serbia have a deep and strong traditional friendship, and with the help of the leaders of both countries, excellent results have been achieved. He emphasized that the Chinese market has great capacities.
"We want to help Serbian companies open the market in China, and of course we expect and want companies from Serbia and the world - to come to us, to share our market in order to create visible results. The Chinese market is always open to the Serbian people," said Li Xinqian.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Jelena Tanasković pointed out that the exchange of agricultural and food products between China and Serbia is as high as 55.5 million dollars. "Our trade in agricultural and food products, compared to 2015 when it was 14.2 million dollars, has grown to 55.5 million dollars. This is certainly the result of previous cooperation, work and effort and of all previous agreements that have been signed. We don't want to stop, but we think that this is the very beginning of cooperation for our two friendly countries," Tanasković said. The agreement on free trade, Tanasković added, will come as the crown of that cooperation.

The Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Serbia Chen Bo pointed out that China has been an important economic partner of Serbia for two years in a row, "In March this year, China and Serbia officially started negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement and I am convinced that the economic cooperation will be even greater. This is a good moment for the Chinese delegation to visit Serbia and promote trade," Chen Bo said.
The trade promotion delegation from China consists of about thirty representatives and 15 Chinese state-owned enterprises from the agri-food sector, chemical industry, mineral resources, wood processing, services, and others.

The visit and business meetings have been organized in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of China in Belgrade and have been an opportunity for Serbian companies to establish direct contacts with potential importers in the Chinese market.