China and Serbia have opened a new chapter of their traditional friendship, according to cross-culture influencers and business executives from the two nations.
In a roundtable on Tuesday, a reporter from China Global Television Network (CGTN) found out how one Chinese company has transformed Serbia's biggest steel plant, Smederevo Steel Plant, and how cultural exchanges are flourishing between the two sides.
In 2016, China's HeSteel Group (HBIS) purchased the Smederevo Steelworks for 46 million euros (about 49.25 million U.S. dollars), and established HBIS Serbia. The plant, which had been losing money for seven consecutive years until then, started to expand production and improve environmental performance.
Gao Feng, Director of Exports Department of HBIS Serbia, said that the factory plays a crucial role in the group's business.
"Europe is the birthplace of the steel industry, and in the past 100 years they have a lot of manager experience, good experience for us. For this mill, they could produce 0.14-millimeter thickness steel products. It's like a paper, an A4 paper. It's very thin. And we want to learn more from this. And the second point I want to say - the location. Serbia is located in Balkan region, is connect with eastern Europe, western Europe, central Europe and together here. So, it will help us to go more global,” said Gao.
In addition to the economic cooperation, the two sides have made achievements in cultural exchanges, said the roundtable guests.
The classic Yugoslav film "Walter Defends Sarajevo," for instance, has been an iconic element of China-Serbia ties, creating a strong cultural bond between the two countries.
The film, released in 1972, tells the story of Walter, a mysterious and charismatic resistance hero bravely fighting against the German Nazis in Sarajevo, now the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It became an instant hit upon its release in China in 1973, offering Chinese audiences their first glimpse of anti-fascist war heroes from the Balkan region.
"When I came to China and then when I faced many people like even people who I don't know and telling them I'm from Serbia, the first word was 'Walter Defends Sarajevo' and I was like, it was a big shock for me, of course, the positive shock. And then after that, I wanted to talk to my family because I am like younger generations. So, I asked them why Chinese people really love this movie, especially older generations. And then I got to know, the system of values that time was the same as in China, so it's understandable. But it's amazing, like it was really like amazing feeling for me that many Chinese people're just sharing their opinion,” said Jelena Culafic, a cross-culture influencer.
China, Serbia mark new chapter in bilateral ties: experts
