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Opinion
Aleksandar Vučić

Serbia can help build bridges between Europe and China

Serbia’s experience proves that cooperation with China brings concrete benefits to ordinary people, workers and families

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The steel mill in the Serbian town of Smederevo, seen on April 4, 2019, was revitalised with the help of Chinese investment. Photo: AFP
Aleksandar Vučić is President of the Republic of Serbia.

As I return to China, I do so with an abiding sense of respect for a nation that has become one of Serbia’s most indispensable partners and a defining force of our century. In Europe, discussions about China are too often clouded by suspicion and strategic anxiety. I understand that every major political community must guard its future, but I believe Europe should approach China not with fear and suspicion but with confidence and a serious, open-eyed willingness to cooperate.

Serbia has chosen the path of openness. And our experience proves that partnership with China brings concrete benefits to ordinary people, workers and families. In many ways, Serbia has become a trailblazer in Europe for a brand of partnership that is both practical and mutually beneficial. Long before connectivity became a buzzword, we understood the importance of building bridges between East and West.

Through our framework with central and Eastern Europe, the relationship has matured into a broad and enduring partnership – and its fruits are now visible across our landscape in infrastructure, energy and technology.

The heartbeat of this relationship remains the steel mill in Smederevo. When President Xi Jinping visited Serbia in 2016, we travelled together to a plant that stood on the brink of collapse. At that moment, thousands of families feared for their future, and the fate of an entire city was uncertain. Then came Chinese investment and, just as important, Chinese confidence.
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