'Chinese speed' in Serbian mountains

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Preljina-Pozega section of the E763 highway in Serbia on July 5. This 30.2-kilometer highway is the first highway built by a Chinese company in Europe and symbolizes the road of friendship between China and Serbia.

When construction began back in March 2021, the project team faced the challenge of compressing the construction period from three years to nine months. They adopted a "parallel work, segmented completion" construction model and established an "hourly scheduling" system. The team introduced an automatic monitoring system for high slopes, overcoming construction difficulties under complex geological conditions, and the project won the CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co’s award.

Chinese and Serbian employees forged a deep friendship, with local employees curious about Chinese culture and eager to learn Mandarin, while Chinese builders participated in local festivals, integrating themselves into Serbian life. The project team's investment in educational support and safety promotion facilitated mutual understanding between people from both countries.

This highway shortens the distance between cities and carries the shared dreams of both the Chinese and Serbian people, becoming a tangible embodiment of the Belt and Road initiative.