Several bilateral documents were signed in Beijing today stipulating better cooperation between Serbia and the People’s Republic of China.
The Serbian Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Construction signed three commercial contracts with Chinese companies in Beijing today, which relate to the construction of infrastructure in Serbia. Following the signing, the Serbian Construction Minister, Goran Vesić, said that the value of these contracts is almost four billion euros and that, as a result of signed contracts, Serbia will get almost 300 kilometres of new roads.
“The first agreement refers to the high-speed Smile of Vojvodina road, which starts at Bački Breg and goes through Sombor, Kula, Vrbas, Bečej and Novi Bečej, Kikinda and finally to Srpska Crnja. The road will be 186 kilometres long, with an extension to Srpska Crnja, so once it’s finished it will be 200 kilometres long. This very important road will connect not only the north of Serbia, but also Hungary and Romania, which is why we expect it to be very busy,” Vesić told Tanjug news agency.
The two sides also signed a contract stipulating the construction of the Belgrade- Zrenjanin-Novi Sad motorway segment, which will be 105 kilometres long, while the third contract stipulates Serbian government purchasing fast Chinese trains, i.e. five trains for EUR 54 million which will be used on the Belgrade-Budapest railroad. The fourth contract was signed with the Chinese Ministry of Transport and stipulates infrastructure-related cooperation and oversight of the infrastructure projects that the Chinese companies will implement in Serbia.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is also at the conference where he will meet with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping.
Vučić said that the free trade agreement between the two countries would come into force by May or June 2024 and stressed its importance to the Serbian economy.
Vučić, who is spearheading a large Serbian delegation in China, also told Serbian media outlets that the deal, slated to be signed on October 17 in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, would cover 10,412 products on the Serbian side and 8,930 on the Chinese side.
The items the document will do away with customs tariffs on include Serbian apples, plums, peaches, soy oil, frozen raspberries, water, beer, and almost all pharmaceuticals and industrial products, while customs on wine and rakija will be phased out.
Vučić added said the free trade agreement with China was “a great thing that will help Serbia import raw materials at considerably lower tariffs” and pointed out that this was “especially important for Serbian steel mills and mines.”
(Euronews, 17.10.2023)