Mali: EXPO 2027 to be largest-ever event of its kind, development opportunity for Serbia

BEIJING - Serbia's First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said on Friday EXPO 2027 in Belgrade would be the largest-ever event of its kind and that, to date, 137 countries were confirmed to attend.

In an interview for China's CGTN, Mali said Serbia had applied to host the expo as it wanted to accelerate its economic growth and development.

"Each and every country is looking for different growth opportunities. The EXPO is an opportunity for us. So we want to make sure that we attract as many countries, as many participants as possible," he said.

"By far, this event is going to be the biggest specialised EXPO ever. Also, as I have said, the biggest event in our history. So, a huge development opportunity for all of us, especially for this country," Mali added.

Asked about his take on future Serbia-China cooperation in view of current global events and emerging technologies, which are changing the world, Mali responded:

"I would say that the relationship has never been better. And we are doing everything to improve that relationship moving forward. The relationship based on trust, based on mutual understanding, based on mutual benefits of cooperation. We are very grateful to our Chinese friends for the support during COVID, for example. But I think that, with the free trade agreement that we have with the Republic of China, the sky is the limit, to be honest with you."

"If you are asking me about future steps - yes, what we want to see is more investments from our Chinese friends, more and more, especially in the high-tech industry, in something where China dominates and is the future of the world, which is artificial intelligence," Mali also said.