Mali receives Chinese ambassador

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali received Chinese Ambassador to Belgrade Li Ming on Wednesday.

Mali and Li agreed that Serbia and China cherished a steely friendship to be confirmed further through major plans for cooperation between the two countries.

They discussed a recent meeting between the presidents of Serbia and China in Moscow, current projects in Serbia involving Chinese companies, as well as further development of friendly relations between the two countries, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

"I am glad the meeting of the two presidents in Moscow has gone well. Serbia is extremely pleased with the cooperation with China - our flights to China are full and we also see many Chinese citizens here, and we are glad about that. We are fully committed to cherishing and further development of the relations with China," Mali said.

Presenting Serbia's plans for EXPO 2027, Mali said that, to date, 110 countries had confirmed their participation in the specialised expo, to be hosted by Belgrade.

He said the total number of countries was expected to exceed 117 - the number of participants at the last specialised expo, held in Astana in 2017.

Mali said Chinese companies operating in Serbia were involved in works to build the Expo complex, as well as a Belgrade metro, a tunnel through central Belgrade and bridges and traffic routes.

"There is a lot of work available, Serbia is paying on time, and that is why we also expect everything to be executed on time. There is no time for delays in execution of works," Mali said.

Expressing gratitude for Serbia's support for Chinese firms operating in the country, Li said the companies were committed to their work and were working hard, and that they had promised to step up the works to avoid any delays.