- The Western City Gate, or Genex Tower, is decorated in China's national colors.
- A billboard for Hisense, a Chinese home appliances manufacturer, is on display.
- China is the largest source of foreign direct investment in Serbia, creating 20,000 jobs.
At the Western City Gate, more commonly known as the Genex Tower, China’s national colors drape one entire tower.
Just for good measure, a billboard for Hisense, the Chinese home appliances manufacturer that opened a refrigerator factory in Valjevo, western Serbia, last year, is on display.
In some parts of Europe, the Chinese president’s itinerary might have raised eyebrows. After all, it is not often that an international leader of such stature includes Serbia as part of a three-stop tour.
However, Serbia has been deepening its relationship with China in recent years, even as it continues negotiations to join the European Union.
Mr. Xi is likely to utilize his trip to highlight his criticisms of NATO. His visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the US airstrikes on China’s embassy in Belgrade. In an editorial for the Serbian newspaper, Politika, the president made it clear that feelings over that incident still run high.
“We should never forget,” he wrote. “The Chinese people cherish peace, but we will never allow such tragic history to repeat itself.”
That kind of rhetoric resonates in Serbia, where the vast majority of people oppose NATO membership. This opposition is a key factor in why this stop on Mr. Xi’s European tour makes perfect sense.
Commercial connections also play a role. The two countries signed a free trade agreement last year, building on a "comprehensive strategic partnership" in 2016 – the year of Mr. Xi’s previous visit to Serbia.
China now asserts itself as the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Serbia. Its ambassador, Li Ming, states that Hisense, along with mining company Zijin and tire manufacturer Linglong, create 20,000 jobs.
UN trade figures, however, place China in fifth place on the foreign direct investment list, trailing behind Germany, Italy, the US, and Russia.
Nonetheless, the Chinese investments are eye-catching – and only likely to increase. Serbia has just taken delivery of its first Chinese electric high-speed trains. They will eventually run alongside Swiss-made rolling stock on the Belgrade-Budapest railway, which is being reconstructed with Chinese expertise and finance.
And that is just the beginning. Serbia’s infrastructure minister, Goran Vesic, states that Chinese partners will undertake other infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, tunnels, and sewage systems. “There is truly ample room for cooperation with Chinese companies,” he informed Serbia’s national broadcaster, RTS.
No wonder Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, plans to personally serve the finest wines his country has to offer to his Chinese counterpart during a banquet in Mr. Xi’s honor.
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