From "Three Body" to high-speed train, deputy speaker talks on "iron-clad" China-Serbia friendship

Over recent years, the relationship between China and Serbia has reached historic new heights, featuring frequent exchanges between the two countries, both at top level and through fruitful economic cooperation, as well as at people-to-people level.

Marina Ragus, deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the bilateral relationship between Serbia and China is “a great example of good practices to follow.”  

Today, let’s hear her insights on the iron-clad friendship between the two countries and the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.

Transcript

Standing up... 

Welcome to this edition of China Trends. I’m Chen Ying, reporting from Belgrade, Serbia.   

In May this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Serbia, his second visit in just eight years. 

Over recent years, the relationship between China and Serbia has reached historic new heights.

Today, I’ll be speaking with Marina Ragus, deputy speaker of the Serbian Parliament and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Together, we’ll reflect on the moment when President Xi Jinping arrived here and hear her insights on building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.
 

Chen Ying：Thank you so much, Mrs Ragus, to be with us today. And, we're glad to have such an opportunity to talk with you about China-Serbia relations and, regarding all the accomplishments here being achieved by the two countries.

And, in May this year, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Serbia. And in your perspective, what positive impact does this visit have to enhance further cooperation between the two countries.

Ragus：Not only between two countries, it was the most famous and the most important visit to this region. And it's on this region. If you follow the mainstream media, global media, you will see how they pay a lot of attention due to that visit of President Xi Jinping.

That visit, actually, Mr. Xi Jinping visited Serbia after France on May 7th and 8th, and the people here came in the thousands to salute him.

And, it was a quite, how to say, emotional moment, because it showed to President Xi Jinping how Serbian people see China and Chinese people. 

It is important to understand why so many people in thousands came to greet Mr. Xi Jinping.

The main reason was because you help my people to survive. We inherited in 2012, state that was in very bad shape, near to bankruptcy. We didn't have enough money for our retirees. The public companies went dead, almost half a million people, even more, were unemployed.  And it was a very tough situation for Serbia back then.

And there is a great example, for example, the HBIS in Smederevo. The history of (in that time) Hesteel, and then HBIS. American Company U.S. Steel had bought Smederevo mine, and then sold for to the government for just 1 U.S. dollar. And, it left so many people without jobs, without production line and everything went down.

And then in 2016, as I remember well, Hesteel, now HBIS, bought the company and I must say that actually now we have a great employment rate. Not only this, we have a totally different production line.

We have a known market and we are at the top of the European states, when we speak about exports, that meant that our GDP and economic growth started to rise in the sense that we actually became, in fiscal and economy sense, very healthy. You see, due to the Chinese companies, people of Serbia won’t forget China.

And that visit, you know, your president has this saying, iron-clad friendship and community of shared future. That means that. So we have passed the tests of very very hardship in the political and geopolitical and geo-strategic way, as the real friends, and then iron-clad friendship and friends. And that will be the manifest for the future to come. 

In economy, we have signed so many agreements, you know, that, Chinese companies are very well engaged in infrastructure here, from highways to railways. We are very proud of Belgrade-Subotica, our part of the railway. Our part of the railway, because it was for the first time after almost 5 or 6 decades to do something within this very important infrastructure. For example, it was a very very big surprise for people to travel from Belgrade to Novisad for about 33 minutes.

It was a kind like you are on a totally different planet. 

For example, my colleagues from the region, from the countries that are EU countries, asked me, is it true that you have such a fast speed trains and the railways and the trains goes in such a speed? When I said that, yes it is. They ask me to come and to try that in Europe. So I will be so happy to see the finalization from Belgrade to Budapest to connect two countries in a best way.

Chen Ying: The high quality collaboration between China and Serbia under the Belt and Road Initiative has yielded remarkable results. 

And could you please share with us some landmark achievements on this cooperation? 

Ragus: The latest? We have signed the agreement for the first line for the Belgrade metro, and that will be dreams come true after 70 years for people, because Belgrade as a capital is not to compared to Beijing, but it is a very big city and we still have traffic problems. And I think that still people do not believe that will happen as many other projects, such as high speeds and etc. 

But, a few days ago, the first lot, I think it was signed, we have three lines and there will be POWERCHINA, of course. So many, great central tunnel beneath the central Belgrade is about to be built. It is a very, how to say, challenging issue to do. 

Of course, we have signed for the power plant green agenda. We must not miss that. Power plants and hydro plants.  

And I think that, and for me personally, among these, very concrete and very worth economy agreements, because it impacts our GDP, we have doubled our GDP since 2012. And we have progressively noticed economy growth. 

What is important for me, aside of these facts is scientific cooperation, scholarship for Serbian talented students and scientists and vice versa. 

What is very important also is free trade agreement. That will benefit a lot for both countries, not only agriculture but also its own products. 

Chen Ying: Good. Despite the geographical distance, we all noticed that the people of China and Serbia have maintained a very close bond in all the time. 

So, how does the general public of Serbia perceive this kind of friendship between China and Serbia? 

Ragus: It happens to me all by chance to launch TV series, Three Body. That was for a long time, the first time for public in Serbia. When you speak about culture and cinematography, for example, to follow very famous Chinese series from the scientific novel trilogy. Personally, I have read the first book, Three Bodies, and I'm just in the middle of Dark Forest. I like it a lot, and I see and that will be the first series.

We have a Chinese Cultural Center here, which brings together and closer due to your embassy and your excellencies, bring closer people of Serbia and China to understand at first philosophy, debate and thinking. Because at the entrance of Chinese Cultural Center and it was built on the ground where Chinese embassy was once upon a time, the embassy that was bombed during the NATO aggression.

At the entrance, you have Confucius and Laozi, and usually it is always kind of interesting for me to see my colleagues, MPs, to know the differences between those two schools of thinking. 

I saw some kids. They are learning calligraphy and within the calligraphy, they are learning all the rest. And it comes. So that this kind of understanding of each other, culture, through cuisine to philosophy, is something that is a process, very strong process here.
 

Chen Ying: Yeah. I see. And President Vucic has stated that Chinese investment and cooperation have significantly advanced Serbia's economic and social development, while also improving the living standard of its people. 

So how would you assess the China's investment and cooperation here in Serbia?

Ragus: As you can see, for example, when we speak about the roads and those roads are, in greater percent signed by Chinese companies here in Serbia just to show you in kilometers. In 2012, we have only 6.1km of built roads in Serbia. From 2013 to 2023, because this year still lasts, only ten years, you can see 445km of roads. 

That means full profile of roads. That also means a full working power rebuilding and building these roads. This means connectivity. We actually connected south to north and west to the east of Serbia. Connect people make for the economy much easier. 

We built five high speed trains from China. Now we sign the agreement for the metro in Belgrade, of course, Chinese companies. And that is, know-how model and example for the whole market economy in the world. Of course, they cooperate with other European companies here. But this is the results of our bilateral relationship. 

So, these graphics, as I present to our public, actually means that people in Serbia now have not only better life conditions, better standards of living, they have security and predictable future, which was quite, old and something as a dream before 2012.

Regardless, critiques that are coming from some parts of the Europe. And I think it will be very silent because when you speak to the business community, you hear totally different words. They are so keen to cooperate with the Chinese company I must say. 
 

Chen Ying: I totally agree with you. And, during President Xi's visit to Serbia, the two heads of state had signed a joint statement on the building of China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.

And the two sides also reached consensus on a number of cooperation documents. So, in your opinion, how would you evaluate the prospects of future cooperation between China and Serbia?

Ragus: And when you speak about Mr. President Xi Jinping’s three global initiatives, that is the the only path of, not only survival of this civilization.

And I think that would be a great thing, because when people see example of a good practice, they are very strong willing to follow that. And Serbia has a lot of examples of good practices or maybe we can say that our bilateral relationship is one great example of good practices to follow.

And, I think that we have to follow what the two presidents saw in the end of this way, and that is the community of our shared future in the new era.

Chen Ying: Thank you so much, Mrs. Ragus. Thank you so much today.
 

Ragus: You are very welcome. Xie Xie.