Macut meets with representatives of Chinese companies

SHANGHAI - On the final day of a working visit to Shanghai, Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with representatives of the Chinese companies BGI Group, Sinopharm and Huawei, noting that the companies were interested in boosting their cooperation with Serbia, above all, in the medical, pharmaceuticals, hi-tech and communications sectors, as well as in business.

"BGI Group is engaged in research and diagnostics in the field of clinical genetics, Sinopharm is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in China, with which we already have a historical connection, while Huawei has been present in the field of the IT sector and electronics in our country for many years, or even decades," Macut told reporters.

He said the discussions had focused on "current cooperation, but also on its improvement, primarily in the areas they cover, such as medicine, pharmacy, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, but also on genetic research in the field of agriculture, the development of new varieties, various seeds."

"The Prime Minister added that the company BGI is interested in marketing its new technologies in the field of developmental medicine, applied medicine and applied clinical medicine," a government statement said.

"This is something that has already characterised their presence in Serbia since the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Fire Eye laboratories were opened in Serbia. Sequencing the genome of the virus was then of exceptional importance in confirmation and diagnosis, as well as in monitoring virus mutations for better therapy efficiency," the PM said.

"Macut explained that he discussed with representatives of Sinopharm how to improve cooperation, primarily the therapeutic lines they have in China.

The Prime Minister discussed with representatives of Huawei the possibility of further structuring their business in our country, that is, producing chips and other electronic components in Serbia, up to the development of solutions in the field of artificial intelligence," the statement said.

Commenting on his first official visit to China, Macut said China had again confirmed it was a friend and a good partner to Serbia.

He added that Serbia-China relations had improved in the past ten years, above all, thanks to the personal relationship between Presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping, which he noted was also a foundation for further development.

Good and stable bilateral relations are key to establishing good economic relations, Macut said, noting that China was the top foreign investor in Serbia.