On the road towards further openness

Four years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University, to express his hopes for the Silk Road Economic Belt. He emphasized an innovative and collaborative approach to deepen cooperation and expand the scope of development in the Eurasian region.

The initiative is seen as a monumental undertaking that will greatly improve the lives of hundreds of millions of citizens in the countries along the routes. The initiative calls for beginning in specific areas and then linking them up over time. To that end, coordinated policies, improved infrastructure, unrestrained trade, financial integration and better understanding between peoples are vital.

As Hu Angang, director of the Institute for Contemporary China Studies at Tsinghua University, remarked, the Belt and Road Initiative signifies that China is taking its open-door policy to a global scale and catalyzing an unprecedented revolution in economic geography in human history.

Serbia's trade with China

Shaanxi Province in central China is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and is also regarded as the new beginning and focal area of the Silk Road Economic Belt. Every year, the province hosts the Silk Road International Exposition (SRIE) and Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation between East and West China (ITFCEW) in its capital city Xi'an, aiming to establish it as a transport and trading center linking eastern and western parts of China and the countries along the Silk Road.

By fully integrating the Belt and Road Initiative, the province expects to make it a hub of international capacity cooperation, a scientific and educational base to foster innovation, a cultural and tourism center and a regional financial center as well. Shaanxi hopes to play a part in enhancing the level of opening-up of central and western China, and accelerating constructive cooperation with nations along the Belt and Road.

Located in the southeast of Xi'an, Qujiang New Area focuses on the development of the culture and tourism industries. The 1,300-year-old Great Wild Goose Pagoda, landmark of Xi'an, is situated there. Buddhist scripture scrolls taken from ancient India by eminent monk Xuanzang are preserved inside. Now the new district is built with row upon row of modern, upscale housing societies and duty free shops stocking imported goods. Thus, an ancient metropolis has regained its stature imbued with modern comforts and facilities.

In June, SRIE 2017 was held in the Qujiang International Conference & Exhibition Center where 300-plus enterprises from over 42 countries and regions as diverse as Serbia, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Russia, South Korea, and Brazil participated. As the guest country of honor, Serbia set up the largest pavilion in the exhibition area, in which Serbian commodities were showcased, such as milk powder, honey, and wine. Serbian folk songs and dance performances also enthralled audiences.

"I hope to introduce and recommend Serbian commodities, high-tech products and services to China and to other fellow countries along the Silk Road," said Nikola Paunovie, head of the Serbia Pavilion reception department. Serbia sent a big delegation comprising more than 100 members. At the pavilion staff members were busy with explaining trade policies and industrial programs to Chinese customers, and businessmen from different countries discussed opportunities for cooperation in the areas of logistics, agriculture, culture, film and entertainment.

Paunovie came to Xi'an for the second time and was fascinated by its culture. Based on his contact with Chinese enterprises, he discovered that although there was good potential for cooperation, it was hampered by lack of knowledge of Serbian policies and market dynamics. Therefore, he specially arranged for specialists to introduce their respective programs. Many interested visitors in Serbia Pavilion proved that it was a prudent idea.

Chinese people born in the 1960s and 1970s are familiar with Serbian movie Valter Defends Sarajevo and its theme song. Director of the movie Emir Kusturica introduced the city of Kragujevac located in the hinterland of Europe with these words: "No place in the world can compete with home; no place can display the mystery and charm of Serbia; and no place owns the distinctive culture as the city of Kragujevac." The message resonated strongly in both Chinese and Serbian people's hearts and encouraged the city of Kragujevac to join hands with China to build a film and television cultural base to attract more Chinese and European tourists.

The City of Kragujevac is the 29th sister city of Xi'an, and the hometown of Serbia's former president Tomislav Nikoli. The city councilor Igor Mitrovic attended the Expo and explained some details of programs in the fields of film and television, modern agriculture, industrial and amusement parks.

Meanwhile, Marija Labovi, CEO of National Tourism Organization of Serbia, told China Today, "Visa-free policy provides convenience for Chinese travelers and we sincerely hope that more visitors come to enjoy their vacations in Serbia. By the end of this year, Serbia's capital city Belgrade and Beijing will have direct flights as well."

On January 15, 2017, the bilateral Visa Free Agreement between the two countries came into force officially. By the end of April 2017, the number of Chinese tourists to Serbia had increased by 300 percent compared to the corresponding period last year. Statistics also show that, this number of Chinese visitors has maintained a strong double-digit growth over five consecutive years since 2012.