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From 'freehand brush work' to 'claborate-style painting': A century-old steel plant's revival under Belt and Road Initiative
08:19

Founded in 1913, the Smederevo Steel Mill at one time contributed 40 percent of the city's revenue, and was known as the "pride of Serbia." But it began to lose money, and intensified market competition and poor management brought it to the brink of bankruptcy. In April 2016, its 5,000 employees were facing unemployment. The HBIS Group, a steel company based in northern China's Hebei Province, set up HBIS Serbia in response to the Belt and Road Initiative. Two years later, the Smederevo steel plant has become the largest exporter in Serbia.

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