At the invitation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, President Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade for a state visit to Serbia from May 7 to May 8, 2024.
"We are very happy that we are among the three countries that President Xi visits in Europe," said Prof. Dr. Bojan Lalić, Director of the Belt and Road Institute Belgrade, Serbia. "I think it's very important to have this exchange at the highest level."
In an exclusive interview with GDToday, Prof. Lalić noted that China-Serbia cooperation had been successful, benefiting the Serbian people, and boasts a promising future. He also pointed out that mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges were the concrete foundations of China-Serbia bilateral cooperation.
China and Serbia cooperation sees fruitful outcome and promising future
Since China and Serbia established a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016, extensive bilateral cooperation has been launched in multiple sectors.
In Prof. Lalić’s point of view, cooperation projects, especially infrastructure projects, have already seen fruitful outcomes and brought benefits to both countries. "If I may say, the most impressive part is the ecosystem growing around the projects," remarked Prof. Lalić, "It (the Hungary-Serbia railway project) is speeding up businesses and communication, creating a completely new contemporary world around it."
This year, a number of cooperative documents are signed and measures proposed. Take the economy and trade sector for example, President Xi announced that with joint efforts from China and Serbia, the free trade agreement between the two countries would take effect on July 1. "We see that (the free trade agreement) as the key point for the future development of Serbia", observed Dr. Bojan Lalić.
According to Xinhua News Agency, direct flights between Belgrade and Shanghai will be increased in the future. Furthermore, both China and Serbia encourage airlines from both sides to launch direct flights between Belgrade and Guangzhou.
Prof. Lalić indicated that with the launching of the direct flight to Guangzhou, the recently closed Canton Fair could also become one of the major exchange activities between China and Serbia.
Investment from China cannot be a trap
Despite successful cooperation cases under the Belt and Road Initiative, the hype around the "debt trap" continues. Prof. Lalić pointed out, "When the country has a clear vision of the future and a clear strategy on how to reach those goals, there is no threat of those things."
Prof. Lalić analyzed that proper arrangement and spending of funds were important, and that this responsibility lay with the indebted government. "If you borrow money and then spend it on something that does not add value, then it's a problem. But that is not a problem of the Belt and Road. It's a problem of a responsible government of the country. So we cannot transfer the responsibility of the government on how they are managing their funds to the Belt and Road Initiative."
Prof. Lalić also noted that any fund or debt from China was friendly, non-conditional, and non-interfering. He emphasized that China would never influence other governments or attempted to change them. "Funds from China are always friendly. No force, no conditions, no interfering in internal affairs or internal business and politics. That's very important."
China-Serbia people-to-people ties are an important foundation for a shared future
On May 8, China and Serbia have decided to build a community with a shared future, an upgrade of their relations from the comprehensive strategic partnership established eight years ago.
“The people to people cooperation is like a concrete in the fundamentals when you're building a house. So ironclad friendship is something that is bringing together the fundamentals, people to people fundamentals,” said Prof. Lalić.
“Everything we are doing is relying on people to people exchanges,” he added.
Reporter | Guo Chuhua
Video | Qin Shaolong
Poster | Mia
Editor | Olivia, Steven, James
