On the afternoon of September 3, Mr. Chen Jinghe, Chairman of major global metals miner Zijin Mining, met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Beijing during the President’s visit to China. During the meeting, they celebrated seven years of successful cooperation since Zijin’s expansion into Serbia and discussed future collaboration across the mining value chain.

Chairman Chen expressed his delight at meeting his old friend again in China. He noted that seven years ago, Zijin and the Serbian government signed an investment agreement in Beijing. Thanks to the strong support from the Serbian government and all sectors of society, Zijin has rapidly progressed its projects in Serbia, achieving strong operational results and making investments and social contributions that have far exceeded its commitments in the agreement.

Looking ahead, Chairman Chen said that Zijin’s subsidiaries in Serbia have embarked on a new phase of growth. Underpinned by a consistent commitment to high-standard ESG practices, the company will advance green and efficient mining by leveraging advanced technology and effective operational management, thereby unlocking greater value for the Serbian government and people.

President Vučić said that as a world-class mining company, Zijin has driven the recovery and upgrading of Serbia’s mining industry by investing in and operating large projects and has become a key pillar for sustained economic growth in eastern Serbia and the nation as a whole. The Serbian government has always regarded Zijin as one of its most important partners and looks forward to expanding cooperation in areas including mineral exploration, extraction, smelting, trading and sales, and environmental protection. He also expressed his hope that Zijin would create more jobs in Serbia. The President further noted that the Serbian government takes Zijin’s expectations seriously and will strengthen its support so that the company achieves faster and stronger growth.

The meeting was also attended by H.E. Tomislav Nikolić, former president of Serbia and President of the National Council for Coordination of Cooperation with Russia and China; Jagoda Lazarević, Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade; Nenad Popović, Minister overseeing Innovation and Technological Development; Maja Stefanović, Serbian Ambassador to China; Nenad Miloradović, Assistant Minister of Defense; Pavle Bašić, Special Envoy of the President; Li Ming, Chinese Ambassador to Serbia; Mr. Wang Chun, Vice President of Zijin Mining; and heads of Zijin’s operations in Serbia.