More than 140 representatives of 110 companies and institutions gathered at one of the most significant Serbian business events ever organized in Fujian Province
As part of the 26th CIFIT and the Global Business Lounge at CIFIT programme, the Serbia Investment Promotion Conference was successfully held at the Xiamen International Conference Center on 8 September 2026. The conference brought together 141 representatives of 110 companies, banks, industrial groups, investment institutions, universities and public authorities.
The conference was organized by the Liaison Department of the Organizing Committee of CIFIT and the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce. The event was implemented by the Xiamen Jimei District International Cooperation Center and the Belt and Road Institute Belgrade, through its Xiamen Representative Office.
The exceptional interest shown by the Chinese business community confirmed Serbia’s strong reputation in China as a reliable partner, an attractive investment destination and an important manufacturing, logistics and distribution platform for access to the European market.
The conference was attended by senior representatives of the Republic of Serbia, Fujian Province and the City of Xiamen, together with representatives of leading Chinese companies already operating in Serbia and those considering new investments.
The delegation of the Republic of Serbia was headed by H.E. Ms Adrijana Mesarović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Republic of Serbia. The conference was also attended by H.E. Ms Maja Stefanović, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the People’s Republic of China, Mr Pavle Bašić — Envoy of the President of the Republic of Serbia for China, Standing Member of the National Council, and members of Serbia’s governmental and business delegation.
The Chinese side was represented by:
Ms Jiang Erxiong, Vice Governor of Fujian Provincial People’s Government;
Mr Liao Huasheng, Vice Mayor of Xiamen;
Mr Fan Qinghong, Deputy Director-General of the General Office of Fujian Provincial People’s Government;
Mr Xiao Youmei, Vice Chairman of the 14th Xiamen Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference;
Mr Chen Guoquan, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Fujian Province;
Mr Chen Min, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce;
Ms Lin Zhenya, Deputy Director of the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce;
Mr Xu Dunhuang, Deputy District Mayor of the Jimei District People’s Government of Xiamen.
Addressing the participants, Deputy Prime Minister Adrijana Mesarović presented Serbia as a politically stable, economically dynamic and export-oriented country offering Chinese investors developed infrastructure, a qualified workforce, strong institutional support and access to the wider European market.
Special emphasis was placed on the importance of the Serbia–China Free Trade Agreement and the shared vision of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping. Thanks to that vision, the steel friendship between the two countries is increasingly being transformed into new factories, jobs, technologies and concrete development projects.
Speaking on behalf of the Chinese side, Ms Jiang Erxiong, Vice Governor of Fujian Provincial People’s Government, confirmed support for the further development of economic relations, investment and direct cooperation between companies from Fujian Province and their partners in Serbia.
Serbia’s investment potential was presented by Mr Nemanja Jevtović, Strategic Investment Adviser at the Development Agency of Serbia, through the presentation “Invest in Serbia / Doing Business in Serbia.” Chinese companies were introduced to Serbia’s business conditions, institutional support for investors, available locations, industrial capacities and opportunities for manufacturing, technology and export-oriented projects.
The conference gained particular strength from the first-hand experiences of three major Chinese investors already operating in Serbia.
Mr Yu Bo, Head of Serbia Industrial Park Development at Minth Holdings, presented the company’s investment in Serbia and the development of its industrial park.
Mr Rao Zhihui, Chairman of Jiangsu Lianbo Precision Technology Co., Ltd., presented the company’s development under the message “Take Root in Serbia and Develop the European Market,” demonstrating that Serbia is not merely the location of a single project, but a long-term manufacturing base and a gateway to the European market.
The presentation “Invest in Serbia — Share the Future of China and Serbia” was delivered by Mr Zhang Junyang, CEO of Serbia Zijin Copper doo, whose operations represent one of the most visible examples of successful economic cooperation between the two countries.
These three business stories sent a clear and powerful message: Serbia is a country where Chinese companies can find reliable partners, skilled people, institutional support and space for long-term growth.
Conference participants included representatives of Xiamen Air, 361 Degrees (China), Minth Group, Jiangsu Lianbo Precision Technology, Xiamen Shitoucheng Group and Xiamen Dabai Technology, together with representatives of numerous manufacturing, logistics, technology, construction, trade and consulting companies.
The conference also brought together representatives of leading Chinese banks and financial institutions, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, China Merchants Bank, Bank of Communications, China CITIC Bank, China Everbright Bank, Bank of Xiamen and Xiamen International Bank.
Representatives of universities, research and development institutions, industrial parks, business associations and the Ningbo China-CEEC Expo and Cooperation Promotion Center were also present, giving the conference a broader economic, investment, academic and development dimension.
The host and moderator of the conference was Mr Danijel Nikolić, Chairman of the Assembly of the Belt and Road Institute Belgrade and Chief Representative of its Xiamen Representative Office. He emphasized that Belgrade and Xiamen were no longer two distant points on a map, but two cities that had learned to communicate, trust one another and create together.
“Our task is to turn every encounter into a conversation, every conversation into an agreement, and every good agreement into a lasting business relationship,” Nikolić said.
The presentations were followed by a question-and-answer session. Discussions continued during the business networking programme, providing representatives of Chinese companies with an opportunity to speak directly with representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Development Agency of Serbia and companies already successfully operating in the Serbian market.
Special gratitude was extended to the Liaison Department of the Organizing Committee of CIFIT, the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, the Xiamen Jimei District International Cooperation Center and the Belt and Road Institute Belgrade – Xiamen Representative Office, as well as to all Chinese and Serbian institutions, companies and partners that contributed to the conference’s exceptional success.
The Serbia Investment Promotion Conference has concluded, but the most important conversations are only beginning.
Serbia sent a clear message from Xiamen: it is open to new investments, new technologies, new jobs and partnerships that will transform the steel friendship between Serbia and China into even stronger shared economic results.
