The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that the All-Serbian Parliament, which will be held tomorrow in Belgrade, is a “big manifestation”, which, according to him, should show “unity in the determination not to hide people’s affiliation”. .
At the technical and passenger station in Zemun, at the presentation of the new Chinese high-speed train, Vučić announced that as part of the All-Serbian Parliament, each member of the Government of Serbia will host a partner minister from Republika Srpska and that cooperation between museums , theaters, sports clubs from Serbia and RS.
“Parliament is a grand manifestation with which we want to show unity in our determination not to hide our belonging to the same people, in preserving our alphabet, culture, traditions, in further economic and political integration, respecting the Dayton Agreement . Republika Srpska is concerned about military neutrality as far as Serbia and RS are concerned,” said the president.
He announced that Serbia will pay 10 million euros for the construction of the Bijelina – Sremska Raça road.
For us, communication with Semberija and the entire Republika Srpska is important. Finally, we will receive the decision of the two governments for the construction of memorial centers in Belgrade and Donja Gradina, to move from history to concrete actions”, said Vucic in Zemun.
“Times” has also warned about Chinese investments in Serbia.
According to the article about Serbia under Vučić, it is said that Chinese loans are a big trap.
“Serbia is proving to be a very effective instrument for advancing China’s foreign policy goals,” said Stefan Vladisavljev of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, an expert on Sino-Serbian relations.
Based on the number of overnight stays that Chinese visitors now spend in Serbia, 2023 should break the record from 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, as visitors from China now come for longer stays.
The boom began in 2017, when Serbia abolished visas for Chinese, and crafty entrepreneurs hired buses to take groups to villages where residents wore traditional costumes for staged weddings, accompanied by home-cooked meals and dancing.
In addition to these and the memorial for the victims of the attack on the Chinese embassy during the time when Serbia was waging war in Kosovo, Beijing supports diplomatic efforts for massive investment in Serbia.
Projects range from a bridge over the Danube to a new railway line between Belgrade and Budapest and a €3.2 billion contract to improve sewage systems in 60 local communities.
China’s foreign direct investment last year was 1.4 billion euros, slightly behind the 1.44 billion invested by the entire EU combined, and this year China should catch up with the EU based on the current trend, Vladisavljev said.
Chinese loans around the world have driven partners into debt traps, and Serbia’s debt to Beijing now stands at 3.5 billion euros a year, 12 percent of GDP.
Serbia’s government seems to feel nothing but gratitude, and signs were put up in Belgrade during the coronavirus pandemic, with messages of gratitude to Chinese President Xi for sending medical supplies.
The close ties are a blow to EU diplomats, who have directed investment in Serbia with little appreciation as they try to bring Belgrade closer to their bloc. The difference is that China’s rival investment comes with none of the conditions imposed by Brussels.
