Speaking of her country having the largest number of projects with China, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic thanked the government and people of China for investing in her country as well as for the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines they received.
Brnabic made the remarks in an interview with CCTV after the conclusion of China-CEEC Summit on Tuesday.
Valuing BRI, CEEC cooperation
The 45-year-old prime minister said they treated the cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European countries as well as the ties under the framework of the Belt and Road as one of their key priorities.
"So we always prepare really really very well. We worked around the year to have projects prepared for the summit in order to be able to sign agreements and continue with the implementation of those projects," said Brnabic, adding that that's why she thinks Serbia is the country with greatest number of projects with China.
Chinese investment in Serbia
Citing the steel mill in Smederevo and copper mine in Bor, she thanked the Chinese companies for investing in her country. She also said that the "huge support personally from President Xi Jinping helped us preserve 10,000 jobs." She added that "10,000 jobs is extremely important" for a country of only 7 million people.
While acknowledging the ongoing projects for 2021 in the fields of energy, environment protection and infrastructure, Brnabic said she was also looking forward to opening the Chinese cultural center in Belgrade, terming it a "huge sign of friendship."
COVID-19 vaccine
Moreover, she thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and the entire country for the COVID-19 vaccines.
"Already 500,000 people in Serbia were vaccinated with Sinopharm vaccine," said Brnabic, speaking of one million vaccines the country purchased.
"It's a fantastic vaccine. It is a vaccine that is liked by the entire country, and everyone now wants to get vaccinated by Sinopharm vaccine."