From Trade To Energy, Serbia Has 'Big Plans' For Cooperation With China: Minister

Serbia has big plans in cooperation with China, and political and economic relations between the two countries will complement each other, according to Nemanja Starovic, the country's minister for labor, employment, and veteran and social affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping toured Europe last week, and Serbia was one of his three stops, along with France and Hungary.

In an interview with Anadolu, Starovic said Xi's visit to Belgrade was "a source of great joy and pride for the people of Serbia."

"This was President Xi's second visit to Serbia … We consider that to be a show of great respect. This particular visit serves as further proof of the ironclad friendship that the two countries have managed to establish in the previous decade," he said.

China and Serbia signed 28 cooperation agreements during Xi's visit last week, and Starovic emphasized that they will greatly bolster Chinese investments in Serbia.

"Some of the most important projects that were discussed concern a new oil refinery. Also, a very large solar plant will be very beneficial for our energy diversification, energy independence and energy security," he said.

Serbia is very proud to be part of China's future plans, he said.

"China is among the very few countries in the world that can make plans for 30, even 50 years in advance. We are very proud and appreciate that China perceives or identifies Serbia and cooperation with us as part of their planned future for decades," he added.

$10 billion trade target

Serbia and China have accomplished so much in economic ties and there are greater plans to enhance mutual trade volume to $10 billion, according to Starovic.

"Just 12 years ago, our overall exports to China were less than $10 million, which we managed to increase to $1.2 billion in recent years," he said.

"Our overall trade encompassing both exports and imports amounts to $6 billion now, and now with the new free trade agreement signed in Beijing last year that will come into effect on July 1 this year, we believe our overall trade could exceed $10 billion in a very short period."

That is why Serbia believes that Xi's visit was very important on a symbolic level and will also have "very practical positive repercussions," he said.

Bilateral relations

On political and diplomatic ties between Belgrade and Beijing, Starovic said the two sides share a foreign policy outlook based on the same principles.

This involves "the principles of sovereign equity, peaceful cooperation and the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries," he said.

He underlined Serbia's "full endorsement and commitment to the one-China policy."

"We believe that the island or province of Taiwan is the (territory of the) China … just like China is strongly supporting our political struggle to maintain our sovereignty and territorial integrity regarding our breakaway province of Kosovo and Metohija," he said.

Kosovo was a part of Serbia before it declared independence in 2008, which has been recognized by some 100 countries, including the US.

China, along with Russia, supports Serbia on the issue and has not recognized Kosovo's independence.

Serbia, China, Hungary trilateral cooperation

Hungary was the last stop on Xi's Europe tour, where he was hosted for talks by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, following which the two sides jointly announced a decision to elevate bilateral ties to "an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era," according to official statements.

Another key announcement was about Chinese automotive company BYD setting up an electric car manufacturing factory in Hungary, its first in Europe.

According to Starovic, there is immense room for trilateral cooperation between China, Hungary and Serbia, and this project is one of the many such opportunities.

He said the site chosen for the BYD factory is in the Hungarian city of Szeged, just next to the Serbian border.

"We have already made plans on how to employ several thousand people from Serbia, so there is mutual benefit in this project. Suppliers from Serbia will also be important for this facility," said the Serbian minister.

"We have big plans in cooperation with China ... We have established a very strong political and economic alliance in the previous decade, and our cooperation with Hungary and China compliments each other." -