Free Trade Agreement with China Wind in Our Sails or Road to Serbian Economy’s Bottom

The prime minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, has stated that the absolute priority of the Government of Serbia, in the relations with China, is the free trade agreement and that, once signed, “the sky will be the limit” for the Serbian economy.

She pointed out that the free trade agreement with China would additionally attract investors from the whole world to Serbia, but also raise the competitiveness of local companies.

– In the past 10 years, our export to China has increased 152 times, and in the past three years, it has tripled. I believe in the competitiveness of our economy and that, with the free trade agreement, we can raise it another 152 times at least – she told the press ahead of the first flight of Air Serbia to China after 22 years, with the establishment of the Belgrade-Tianjin air line.

On the other hand, the vice president of the Party of Freedom and Justice, Dusan Nikezic, estimated that the signing of the free trade agreement would amount to “the final nail in the coffin of the Serbian economy”.

– Not even the most powerful world economies, such as the EU, the USA, or Russia, have free trade agreements with China, so it’s completely ridiculous for Serbia to sign one, as it can only offer cheap raw materials to China, whereas Chinese companies can flood our market overnight and fully suffocate local production – Nikezic said in his response to Brnabic.

He pointed out that the prime minister boasted about the growth of exports to China, but that she didn’t mention that it was not the Serbian economy that exported to China, but the Chinese owner of RTB Bor.

– In the first 10 months of this year, we exported EUR 945 million worth of ore, copper concentrate and timber, whereas from China, we imported the incredible EUR 4 billion worth of telecommunications, computer, medical, military and other equipment – Nikezic said in his announcement.

He added that the Government of Serbia had already gifted the Chinese the biggest Serbian industrial complexes and the most valuable mining resources and that it had practically given all the big infrastructure project to Chinese construction companies without a tender, for which Serbia had borrowed money from the Chinese state.

According to Nikezic’s estimate, if the announced projects are realized, Serbia will owe China EUR 15 billion, which is EUR 6,250 per household.

– Due to your disastrous policies, Serbia has become a Chinese colony in Europe, so even our children’s children will suffer the consequences of this obsequious and, in so many ways, harmful relationship – Nikozic told the prime minister.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Serbia Zijin Copper doo Bor

Party of Freedom and Justice

RTB Bor

Dušan Nikezić

Ana Brnabić

free trade agreement with China

cooperation of Serbia and China

Serbian economy

development of Serbian economy

export to China