14 February 2020

Secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee thanks Council President Nikolić for his letter of support

Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China Liu Jiayi has sent a letter of appreciation to Council President Tomislav Nikolić. The letter reads as follows:

“Your Excellency President Nikolić,

Thank you for your letter. We are deeply touched and encouraged by your sympathy and support at this critical stage of the struggle against the epidemic. On behalf of over 100 million people from Shandong and on my own behalf, I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to you and to the people of Serbia.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Chinese have come together as one owing to the guidance and personal efforts of President Xi Jinping, embracing the resolute, strict and comprehensive measures put in place to contain the spread of the epidemic, and fighting a large-scale people’s battle against it. Shandong has duly launched Level 1 of the public health emergency response and has taken a number of steps to advance prevention and to control events adequately. Currently, the epidemic in Shandong is on the whole stable and under control, people live their everyday lives and companies work unimpededly. People from all over the Province are fully confident that we will prevail over the epidemic. Health and safety of Serbian nationals in Shandong was taken seriously and we have introduced measures to protect their health and lives. I am confident that, with the support of Serbia and the international community, Shandong and China at large will secure a complete victory in the battle against the epidemic.

Over the years, Serbia and Shandong have maintained close cooperation. The E-763 motorway, built by Shandong Hi-Speed Group, is open to traffic. The Belgrade-Zrenjanin motorway improvement project and the Danube bridge project in Novi Sad are ongoing. A new factory construction project funded by Shandong Linglong Tire was launched last March. The Chinese Cultural Centre in Belgrade, built by Shandong Hi-Speed Group, is about to be opened this year. As the first cultural centre of China in Central and East Europe, it will have an important role in the promotion of mutual trust and friendship between our two peoples.

I would like to reiterate my gratitude for your letter and for your support to Shandong. Long live the Sino-Serbian friendship. I look forward to the successful results of the subnational cooperation between Serbia and Shandong.”