AerialphototakenonAug.16,2021showstheSmederevoSteelworks,Serbia.(HBISSerbia/HandoutviaXinhua)BELGRADE/BEIJING,May7(Xinhua)--SituatedbythescenicDanubeRiver,theSmederevoSteelworkshadlongbeenhailedastheprideofSerbiabeforeitslidtobankruptcymorethantwodecadesago.Thankstothedeepeningofthehigh-qualityBeltandRoadcooperationbetweenChinaandSerbia,thecentury-oldfactorymadearemarkablecomebackin2016whenitsChinesepartnerarrived.Injustacoupleofmonths,thesteelmillstartedturningaprofit.Ithasnowbecomeoneoftheworld'slargestironandsteelmakersandintegratedserviceprovidersmeasuredbyproductioncapacity.Therebirthofthesteelmillstandsasakeyepitomeofthebroaderpracticalcooperationbetweenthetwocountries.AsChinesePresidentXiJinpingisabouttopayhissecondstatevisittotheEuropeancountry,expectationsarerunninghighthattheironcladfriendshipbetweenthetwonationswillbefurtherenrichedandstrengthened.ManybigChineseinvestmentprojectsherewerebroughtaboutbyPresidentXi,formerSerbianPresidentTomislavNikolicsaid."HeisasincerefriendofSerbia."DuringhisfirststatevisittoSerbiain2016,XiofferedastronghelpinghandtotheSmederevoSteelworks,usheringinawaveofChinesesupport.ChinesePresidentXiJinping(C),accompaniedbythenSerbianPresidentTomislavNikolicandthenSerbianPrimeMinisterAleksandarVucic,talkswithworkersatthedininghallofasteelmillinSmederevo,Serbia,June19,2016.(Xinhua/MaZhancheng)SerbianPresidentAleksandarVucicclearlyremembershowhe,thenasprimeminister,approachedXiduringthelatter'svisitwiththeideaofsavingthestrugglingcompany.XiassuredhimwithafamousChinesesayingthat"promisesmustbekept,andactionsmustberesultful.""Whatwepledgetodo,suchasintroducingcutting-edgetechnology,ensuringlocalemployment,andbenefitingthewidercommunity,mustbeachievedwithoutfail,"Xitoldtheworkerswhenvisitingthefactory.VladanMihailovic,executivedirectorforproductionatthesteelworks,describedXi'svisitasaturningpoint.WithXi'ssupport,ChinaofferedsustainedassistancetoSerbiatorevivethefactory."Thepresident'scommitments,especiallyregardingthemodernizationofproductionfacilities,havebecomeareality,"saidMihailovic.About60kmawaytothenorthwestofthesteelworksnestlestheBelgradeCentrerailwaystation,thestartingpointofanotherBeltandRoadInitiative(BRI)cooperationprojectXicaresabout--theBelgrade-NoviSadhigh-speedrailway.AsasegmentoftheSerbia-Hungaryrailway,itbeganoperationsinMarch2022andhassincebeenshuttlingpassengersbetweenSerbia'stwolargestcitiesatspeedsofupto200kmperhour.Vucicdubbedit"agiftforfuturegenerations."TheflourishingcooperationbetweenBeijingandBelgradewithintheframeworkoftheBRIepitomizesthegrowingsynergybetweendevelopmentstrategiesofthetwocountries,whichhassignificantlybolsteredbilateraleconomicandtraderelations.AccordingtoChinesecustomsstatistics,thetotaltradevolumebetweenChinaandSerbiain2023reached4.35billionU.S.dollars,anincreaseof23.7percentcomparedtothepreviousyear.InOctoberlastyear,witnessedbyXiandVucic,ChinaandSerbiasignedafreetradeagreementinBeijing,thefirstoneinkedbetweenChinaandaCentralandEasternEuropeancountry.Afterthedealtakeseffect,morethan60percentoftaxableitemswillbecometariff-freeimmediately,andthefinalimportvolumeproportionofbothsideswithzero-tariffitemswillreachabout95percent."ChinaisoneofthemostimportantpartnersforSerbia'seconomicdevelopment,"saidNenadStekic,aresearchfellowwiththeInstituteofInternationalPoliticsandEconomics,aSerbianthinktank."Sinceweelevatedourrelationshiptoacomprehensivestrategicpartnershipin2016,therelationshiphasbeenreallygoingonanupwardtrajectoryacrosstheboard,"headded.Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.