Students of University for Security Studies in Banja Luka participated in the discussion on Chinese economic development.
Some one hundred students attended the lecture “Chinese development and Belt and Road Initiative” held by Chinese ambassador to BiH Ji Ping and they engaged in asking questions.
The first question asked by students related to the significance of the Initiative and what it will bring to the region, to which Ji said that the infrastructure connection is the most important.
“Chinese will first engage in the construction of highways and railways in the Balkan region,” Ji answered.
He added that Chinese are currently on the way of signing the memorandum of understanding on infrastructure building with BiH.
Students also wanted to know more about will the American sanctions on Huawei and will it bring the better relations of China and Russia, to which Ji answered that the “relations between China and Russia are good since always”, no matter of American sanctions on Huawei.
He added that this year the Chinese president Xi Jinping visited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia where they signed an agreement on improvement of bilateral relations.
In addition, students wanted to know more about the expansion of NATO pact and the possible relations and implications for China, to which Ji answered that it is still uncertain will the security of China be jeopardized.
The final question was about the Brexit and will it have implications for the Belt and Road Initiative, to which Ji answered that China will continue on the improvement and expansion of the Initiative and that he hopes that the cooperation will be better not only with members of the European Union (EU) but also with non-EU members.
During his speech, Ji said that he is satisfied with the projects China is implementing here, especially pointing out on the thermal power plant “Stanari”, located in Republika Srpska (RS), because the average salary there is the highest one in all municipalities in RS.
For his part, the faculty’s dean Predrag Ceranic said that Chinese economy is on the biggest development peak in the world and that there is an increase of Chinese investments in BiH.
Ceranic concluded by saying that China is sending a message of peace, prosperity and development through the Initiative and that Balkan region is looking forward to new Chinese investments.
During the lecture, it was emphasized that the relations between BiH and China are good and that “political trust is mutually increased every year”.
Source: sarajevotimes
