BELGRADE/BEIJING, May 27 (BV)— Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said Serbia had witnessed “in the most practical way” what sincere and “steel friendship” with China means, after securing investment agreements worth more than €940 million during his official visit to China.
Speaking in the Chinese city of Jiaxing during the fourth day of his visit, Vučić said the new deals with leading Chinese companies would bring around 1,650 jobs and further expand Chinese economic influence across Serbia.
“The future is arriving in Serbia,” Vučić said, adding that Chinese technology and investments could transform the country’s economic trajectory.
The Serbian president said he had visited companies including Mint and AgiBot, where he observed advanced robotics, artificial intelligence systems and industrial automation technologies.
Vučić described receiving China’s Order of Friendship from Chinese President Xi Jinping as one of the proudest moments of his life, calling it recognition not only for him personally but for Serbia itself.
“There was no prouder man on earth than me,” Vučić said.
He announced that the first phase of humanoid robot production in Serbia could begin within two months, presenting the project as evidence of Serbia’s ambition to position itself within future technologies and advanced manufacturing sectors.
According to Vučić, Chinese investments are expected to expand beyond existing industrial hubs such as Loznica and Zrenjanin into additional Serbian cities including Šabac and Ćuprija.
He particularly praised Chinese businessman Qin Ronghua, founder of Mint, whose company already employs thousands of workers in Serbia.
Vučić also highlighted educational cooperation, saying Serbia plans to send up to 500 young people to China for training in advanced technologies and innovation sectors.
The visit underscores Serbia’s increasingly close political and economic partnership with China at a time when Belgrade balances relations between Beijing, Moscow, Brussels and Washington.
China has become one of Serbia’s largest foreign investors in recent years, financing infrastructure projects, industrial facilities, mining operations and transport links through the Belt and Road Initiative.
During the visit, Serbian and Chinese officials signed more than 20 cooperation agreements covering infrastructure, trade, technology, education and culture.
Vučić said Serbia would continue offering incentives and institutional support to Chinese investors, arguing that long-term Chinese engagement was helping revive regional economies across the country.
The strengthening partnership comes as the European Union and the United States continue expressing concerns over growing Chinese influence in the Western Balkans, particularly in strategic sectors such as infrastructure, energy, surveillance technologies and industrial production.