At the beginning of the meeting, the participants were addressed by the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Serbia, Li Ming, who welcomed the organisation of the talks on green development in Serbia, bearing in mind that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement. He assessed that in the face of global climate change, only through joint efforts and international cooperation can we promote stable and long-term development of global climate governance.

"China, as a large and responsible country, follows President Xi Jinping's idea of ecological civilisation. China is committed to actively responding to climate change, and green transformation is the only answer to it. China has built the largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system and the most complex new energy industry chain in the world. It is the country with the fastest and largest greening in the world. China has therefore taken a leading role in developing the G20 Energy Efficiency Leading Programme, established the Energy Cooperation Partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative with 32 countries, including Serbia, and by publishing the document on China's green development in the new era, it has shown its firm commitment to the path of green development," the Chinese Ambassador emphasised.

He added that the two countries reached important agreements on cooperation in the field of green development during the last visit of the Chinese President to Serbia. Project "Clean Serbia” implemented by the CRBS (China Road and Bridge Corporation) in 93 municipalities in Serbia occupied a special place in this cooperation, which, when completed, will provide a healthy environment for 2.3 million residents, Ambassador Ming added. In his address, he also referred to the investments in environmental protection by Chinese companies operating in Smederevo and Bor, exceeding 300 million euros and 300 million dollars.

"Today's discussion will enable the continuation of the dialogue in the field of green development and the improvement of bilateral cooperation between our countries. We will encourage the implementation of green projects, thereby contributing to the common future of the two countries in the new era and the building of a clean and sustainable world," concluded Ambassador Ming.

The Chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee, Milimir Vujadinovic, also addressed the MPs, members of the PFG with China, representatives of Chinese companies in Serbia and other participants of the panel discussion on the Green Agenda. Quoting the poem "It's Easy for You" by our poet Mika Antic, he stated that Serbia today has it easier than others in the world, because it has a steel friend and brother in the form of the Chinese state. He added that such friendship is not only formal, but very essential and affects everyday life in our country. This friendship is based on the relationship between our two presidents, the benefits of which are also felt by our citizens, concluded Vujadinovic. He said that Chinese companies, namely Serbian companies with Chinese capital in Bor and Smederevo, respect all the postulates of the green transition transferred from China to their operations in Serbia, trying to comply with the priorities and goals of the Green Agenda. He said that the Zijin company invested 265 million dollars in environmental improvement, which is four times more than what was foreseen in the agreement reached, over a million new seedlings were planted, and the issue of solid waste storage was resolved, as well as the upgrade of the smelter, all of which contributed to the air quality in Bor. The situation is similar in Smederevo, where the Chinese partner invested 300 million euros in environmental protection, Vujadinovic added.

"Your companies have shown that it is possible to combine industrial development and human health. Following the Green Agenda, we have increased our environmental protection allocations almost fivefold in the past 13 years, so today that budget amounts to 23.8 billion dinars. In addition to important political issues, we are partners in environmental protection and in the implementation of the Green Agenda," concluded Vujadinovic.

In her address to the participants, National Assembly Deputy Speaker and Head of the PFG with China Marina Ragus stated that this is just one of a series of activities that the PFG with China is implementing and planning to have. She said that the goal of today's discussion is to hear from experts working in Chinese companies in Serbia, in order to present the situation in their companies before and after the arrival of Chinese partners.

"The numbers are unquestionable and speak for themselves, and today we are here to refute those allegations that have a political connotation and are bothered by the presence of Chinese capital in Europe. Thanks to the friendship of our two leaders, Serbia is growing and China means life to it. Today we are opening a new chapter in cooperation that, according to the Serbian President, will go in three directions: towards even more frequent meetings between the two leaders and making plans for the future, continuing mutual support for the two countries and mutually beneficial cooperation, and using mechanisms such as the free trade mechanism. This is a great honour for Serbia, that a country like the People's Republic of China pays us great attention and gives us such support," concluded Ragus.

After the introductory speeches, the main panellists, leading experts from Chinese companies, addressed the participants of the discussion, presenting their contribution to environmental protection in the cities in which they operate. The situation before and after the arrival of Chinese companies was presented by Vladan Mihailovic, from HBIS Smederevo, Aleksandar Vojvodic from CRBS (China Road and Bridge Corporation), Ivana Jenic Komljenovic from Zijin Copper Bor and Dusan Visnjic from Serbia Zijin Mining, which was followed by an exchange of views with members of parliament.