Thewesternbalkans.
A Chinese business delegation visited Serbia from March 19 to March 21 reported Xinhua. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the delegation, led by Ren Hongbin, president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). During the visit Chinese and Serbian companies reached multiple cooperation intentions in cross-border e-commerce, agricultural trade and information technology. In addition, Ren held talks with Serbian government officials, business associations and Expo institutions while attending the China-Serbia Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, which was held on Thursday. More than 200 representatives of trade promotion institutions, business associations, and enterprises from China and Serbia participated at the forum in the Serbian capital Belgrade. The event was co-hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. Speaking at the forum, Ren reaffirmed China’s commitment to expanding cooperation in trade and investment, consolidating existing areas of cooperation, and exploring innovative cooperation in multiple fields. He also voiced China’s support for Serbia’s hosting of the 2027 Belgrade Specialized Expo and invited Serbian businesses to participate in the third China International Supply Chain Expo. Meanwhile, the Serbia side said that amid increasing global economic uncertainties, China can bring stability to Serbia’s development, and Serbia is willing to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with China to achieve mutually beneficial growth.
Comment: The CCPIT develops business cooperation and exchanges with foreign countries and has long been associated with the Chinese Communist Party’s united front strategy. It is charged with organizing trade fairs and events in promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative. Economic collaboration between Serbia and China is poised for significant growth, with the Belt and Road Initiative paving the way for a future of shared prosperity. Bilateral trade between China and Serbia surged in 2024, reaching 7.46 billion U.S. dollars, up 22.1 percent from the previous year. The benefits of the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries are the growing presence of Chinese companies in Serbia and the unique opportunity for Serbian businesses to export their products under the “Made in Serbia” brand to China.
