Smederevo, Bor and Zrenjanin – struggle with the consequences of Chinese projects

Thanks to the pro-government media and decision-makers, the majority of Serbian citizens perceive China as a friend of Serbia, thinks that China’s influence on Serbia is exclusively positive, and believes that China is one of the largest foreign donors. The negative consequences of the largest Chinese projects in our country are not visible enough, since the public space for dialogue about their impact on the daily life of citizens in local communities has been narrowed. Assuming that environmental protection, public health, decent work and the rule of law in the context of Chinese investment are not just local issues, the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy wants to open a space for discussion on the following issues:

How does Chinese investment affect the environment? What kind of air do the citizens of Smederevo and Bor breathe, and what can the citizens of Zrenjanin expect in the future? Why is the life expectancy of the citizens of Bor 10 years shorter than in the rest of Serbia, and the number of cancer patients in Smederevo has been constantly increasing in recent years? In what conditions do domestic and foreign workers live and work on Chinese projects? How does the business of Chinese companies affect the rule of law and human rights?

Welcome Remarks:

• Maja Bjeloš, Senior Researcher, BCSP
• dr Snežana Šerbula, Head of the Department of Environmental Protection, Technical Faculty in Bor,
• Dragan Nedeljković, „Pro.Tok21”, Smederevo,
• Mišo Živanov, member of Managerial Board, „Zrenjaninska akcija -ZRAK”.

The discussion will be moderated by Dina Đorđević, journalist from the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia.

Opening remarks will be given by Igor Bandović, BCSP director.

During the discussion, preliminary findings from the analysis prepared by BCSP researchers based on interviews with citizens of Smederevo, Bor and Zrenjanin, as well as experts in the field of environmental protection and human rights will be presented.

We invite you to join the discussion on these topics together with the residents of the three cities, journalists, experts in the field of environmental protection, human rights and representatives of the international community. Please note that the working language is Serbian, but translation into English is provided.

We kindly request your confirmation of participation in the round-table discussion by Monday, 13 June to the email office@bezbednost.org. If you can take part only online, you can register using this link.

Supported by the International Republican Institute’s Beacon Project. The views expressed during the event are solely those of the participants and do not reflect those of IRI.