STORY: Yao's Vlog: How strong is China-Serbia friendship?
SHOOTING TIME: May 4, 2024
DATELINE: May 7, 2024
LENGTH: 00:06:49
LOCATION: Belgrade
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Serbia
2. STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
3. SOUNDBITE (English): YELENA, Serbian vlogger
4. SOUNDBITE (English): Passenger
5. SOUNDBITE (Serbian): VULETIC KATRINA, Stewardess
6. SOUNDBITE (English): WANG AIPING, Deputy director of China Cultural Center in Belgrade
7. SOUNDBITE (English): DANIJELA RADANOVIC, Resident in Belgrade
8. SOUNDBITE (English): VLADIMIR ROGLIC, IT Technician
9. SOUNDBITE (English): DANIJELA RADANOVIC, Resident in Belgrade
10. SOUNDBITE (English): VUKASIN NIKOLIC, Resident in Belgrade
11. SOUNDBITE (English): ALEKSANDAR ILIC, Resident in Belgrade
12. SOUNDBITE (English): MILICA NASTIC, Resident in Belgrade
13. SOUNDBITE (English): MARKO KOVACEVIC, Resident in Belgrade
14. SOUNDBITE (English): UROS VELANAC, Resident in Belgrade
15. SOUNDBITE (English): MARKO GALO, Resident in Belgrade

STORYLINE:

Flying over 7,000 km from Beijing, I arrived on the other side of the Eurasian Continent. It's a beautiful country in the Balkans, traversed by the Danube River, known for its ancient fortresses, orthodox churches, and moreover, its ironclad friendship with China. Yes, it's Serbia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Serbia. On the streets of Belgrade, the excitement and warm welcome filled the air. How strong is the friendship between China and Serbia? Let's find out here in Belgrade.

STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"So first time in Belgrade, I'm actually meeting up with an online friend in person. She is a vlogger that I followed on social media, a Serbian girl speaking fluent Chinese."

SOUNDBITE (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"Hi, Yelena."

SOUNDBITE (English): YELENA, Serbian vlogger
"Finally."

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"It's great to finally meet you here."

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): YELENA, Serbian vlogger
"Hello. Welcome to Serbia. Hope you'll like it here. "

28-year-old Yelena lived in Beijing for over 7 years for her Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Now she is a vlogger introducing Serbian culture to Chinese people. And she also has another job.

SOUNDBITE (English): YELENA, Serbian vlogger
"My day job is actually a translator at the Serbian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway project."

SOUNDBITE (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"Wow, that's really cool. I know this project was co-built by Chinese companies and it's a signature project under the Belt and Road Initiative."

SOUNDBITE (English): YELENA, Serbian vlogger
"Yeah, it is. So let me take you to experience a short trip by our high-speed train."

The Hungary-Serbia railway is nearly 350 km long.

Once brought into full operation, this railway will reduce the journey between their capitals from eight hours to just three hours.

The Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the railway opened to traffic in March 2022.

SOUNDBITE (English): YELENA, Serbian vlogger
"There are many passengers on this section because it's convenient for many people to work, study, travel, and visit relatives maybe or going on business trips. I also go by this on a weekly basis."

SOUNDBITE (English): Passenger
"I take this train because it's the fastest way to get from Novi Sad to Belgrade."

SOUNDBITE (English): Passenger
"It's really fast and really clean, reliable and really cheap. So Chinese people really brought some innovations to Serbia. So I'm really glad for that."

SOUNDBITE (Serbian): VULETIC KATRINA, Stewardess
"I've been working here for two years. Passengers are very satisfied with it. Whether its appearance, comfortability, and services, everything is satisfying."

In March this year, the Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the railway marked its second anniversary of operation. During the two years, the railway transported over 6.83 million passengers.
Meanwhile, some European freight companies also came to Novi Sad, eyeing future investment on the railway's freight capacity.

SOUNDBITE (English): YELENA, Serbian vlogger
"I'm very happy to make my own contribution to the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative project. I think the friendship between the two countries is not only reflected in economic and trade cooperation, but also in the friendly exchanges and cultural exchanges between the two nations. In the future, I want to work harder as an 'ambassador' for cultural exchanges between China and Serbia."

STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"Just like Yelena, there are many young people in Serbia who are interested in Chinese culture. Today, they could take a variety of Chinese cultural courses near their homes, in this China Cultural Center in Belgrade."

SOUNDBITE (English): WANG AIPING, Deputy director of China Cultural Center in Belgrade
"The China Cultural Center is located at the China-Serbia Friendship Square at the Confucius Street, by the beautiful Danube. The external appearance of the building is a perfect blend of the traditional Chinese culture with modern architectural art.
The center is a convenient window for the Serbian people to know about China and to experience the Chinese culture. It is a bridge for mutual exchange and mutual learning between China and Serbia."

Sowing seeds of hope, the cultural center is envisioned as a space for nurturing dreams for the younger generation.

SOUNDBITE (English): DANIJELA RADANOVIC, Resident in Belgrade
"I just have the classes from the Chinese calligraphy. My classmates are from Serbia, Russia, and China. I think that for us, it's just more important to share, just experience together and to learn more."

SOUNDBITE (English): VLADIMIR ROGLIC, IT Technician
"(I have) a calligraphy course and a Taijiquan course. It's a nice environment to study.
More and more Chinese are coming to live and work in Serbia. So I think there is more and more opportunity to know each other, to prosper our friendship."

SOUNDBITE (English): DANIJELA RADANOVIC, Resident in Belgrade
"This is the new era for China-Serbia friendship, because our friendship comes from the heart. We will really help each other."

STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"This is not Chinatown, but you can see street signs in Chinese everywhere.
On this iconic Knez Mihailova Street, street signs are displayed in 4 languages, Serbian, English, Chinese and Russian. It makes me feel very much at home and also brings convenience to Chinese tourists here."

SOUNDBITE (English): VUKASIN NIKOLIC, Resident in Belgrade
"China is our friend. Iron friendship."

SOUNDBITE (English): ALEKSANDAR ILIC, Resident in Belgrade
"I believe it's (Xi's visit is) good for our country and for both countries."

SOUNDBITE (English): MILICA NASTIC, Resident in Belgrade
"I expect that our friendship and relationship will be so much stronger than it is now. So it will be like win-win situation for China and Serbia."

SOUNDBITE (English): MARKO KOVACEVIC, Resident in Belgrade
"If we collaborate together, it might be good for both of our countries."

SOUNDBITE (English): UROS VELANAC, Resident in Belgrade
"I know that there's like a big love between China and Serbia and I'm looking forward to it."

SOUNDBITE (English): MARKO GALO, Resident in Belgrade
"I think China is a great country. I think it's great and it's valuable for both sides to invest in the relationships in the future. And it can only be good for people of Serbia and people of China."

As a Serbian proverb goes, "Friends are the fruits of time." There is also a Chinese saying, "Time reveals one's heart." The ironclad friendship between China and Serbia has been strengthened over time amid the changing international landscape. And in this vibrant springtime, it's expected that the blossom of friendship will keep flourishing, and continuously show new vitality.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Belgrade.
(XHTV)