April 29, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping replied to HBIS Group Smederevo Serbian staff and encourage them to make new contributions to China and Serbia friendship.

President Xi Jinping said that during my state visit to Serbia in 2016, I met with you face to face at the Smederevo Steel plant and deeply felt your support for the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Serbia, and your expectations for the bright future of the steel plant.

From your letter, I knew that with the joint efforts of the both management teams and the steel plant employees, the steel plant has taken on a new look, which has provided strong support for the development of Smederevo City. I am very glad that the steel plant has turned a profit quickly after the investment of Chinese enterprise, the jobs of more than 5,000 employees have been guaranteed, and thousands of families have enjoyed a placid and happy life.

The development of the steel plant is inseparable from the dedication and hard work of staff, you use the hard work to make the steel plant develop with each passing day, and continue to write a new chapter for the ironclad friendship between China and Serbia, I give you a thumbs-up.

President Xi Jinping emphasizes the sound development of the Smedarevo steel plant is a vivid practice of high-quality jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Serbia, and a successful example of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

The workers of steel plant are participants, witnesses, contributors and beneficiaries of China and Serbia friendly cooperation. Hope you will continue to do job wholeheartedly, devote yourself enthusiastically to the operation and development of the steel plant, and make new and greater contributions to promoting Serbia's economic and social development and consolidating China and Serbia ironclad friendship.

More than 30 Serbian employees of HBIS Group Smederevo Steel Plant wrote to President Xi Jinping to introduce the development of steel plant and its important contributions to the improvement of local people's livelihood, and to express gratitude to President Xi Jinping for his firsthand attention and support to the project.