Belgrade, Serbia - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shots of cityscape

Smederevo, Serbia - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Aerial shots of steel mill
3. Various of old facilities at steel mill
4. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Jovan Bec, mayor of Smederevo (starting from shot 3):
"Smederevo, which then did not have a steel plant, resembled, in a way, a tardy old man."
5. Building with words reading "Serbian Pride"
6. Various of national flags of China(L), Serbia(R), flag of HBIS Serbia(C)
7. Sculpture of earth
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Sihai, executive director of HBIS Serbia (starting with shots 6-7, partially overlaid with shot 9):
"In response to the Belt and Road Initiative, and also out of our own business needs, HBIS decided to cooperate with Serbia. In the past, China's steel industry had made some investments overseas, but this was the first ever acquisition and operation of an entire industrial chain."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
9. Song working
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
10. Various of Chinese, Serbian workers working together
11. Various of steel mill facilities in operation
12. Aerial shot of steel mill

FILE: Smederevo, Serbia - June 19, 2016 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
13. Various of welcoming crowd for Chinese President Xi Jinping
14. Various of Xi waving, giving speech; people listening

Smederevo, Serbia - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
15. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Vladan Aleksic, director of operations, HBIS Serbia (starting with shot 14, ending with shot 16):
"After President Xi's speech, everyone knew that the Smederevo steel mill was about to usher in a new future. I was very honored to participate in that conversation, and demonstrate to President Xi our hot rolling equipment. I also had the opportunity to have a few minutes of cordial conversation with him."

FILE: Smederevo, Serbia - June 19, 2016 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
16. Various of photo of Xi inspecting steel mill, talking to workers
17. Various of Xi inspecting steel mill, talking to workers

Smederevo, Serbia - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
18. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Sihai, executive director of HBIS Serbia (starting with shot 17, ending with shot 19):
"President Xi's visit not only greatly boosted the confidence of our Chinese management team but also greatly inspired the 5,000 Serbian employees."
19. Various of facilities operating in steel mill
20. Aerial shots of steel mill
21. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Sihai, executive director of HBIS Serbia (starting with shots 19-20): "Starting from 2018, we have been the largest exporter in Serbia for four consecutive years, breaking the factory's production records of over 100 years."
22. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Vladan Aleksic, director of operations, HBIS Serbia:
"Without a doubt, BRI is a magnificent initiative. It benefits our company and gives the Smederevo Steel Plant a new lease of life. It has also improved the material well-being of the steel plant's employees and local residents."
23. Aerial shot of steel mill

Belgrade, Serbia - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
24. National Museum of Serbia

Smederevo, Serbia - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
25. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Jovan Bec, mayor of Smederevo (starting with shot 24, ending with shots 26-27):
"We have invested in roads, hospitals, kindergartens, and more. In all respects, Smederevo is now a better place to live than before. We deeply appreciate everything that the Chinese president and the Chinese people have done for us. The Serbian people will never forget this."
26. Residents
27. Pigeons
28. Various of rain, tree leaves

FILE: Belgrade, Serbia - April 1, 2023 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
29. Workers
30. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian president (starting with shot 28, ending with shots 31-32):
"The highway is officially open from 9 pm tonight, and citizens can immediately experience its convenience. We thank President Xi for always caring about Serbia. Without China's help, would we have seen an increase in GDP and rapid economic development? How else could we have built so many highways?"
31. Workers

FILE: Serbia - Exact Date and Location Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
32. Aerial shots of highway
33. People posing for photo, holding banner for Budapest–Belgrade railway project
34. Aerial shots of train running

Chinese investment within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought an old steel mill in Serbia back to life, which benefited thousands of employees and greatly contributed to the local economy.

The Smederevo Steel Mill was founded in 1913 in Smederevo, a small city more than 40 kilometers southeast of Serbia's capital city Belgrade.

The plant contributed 40 percent of the city's fiscal revenue at its peak and is known as the "pride of Serbia." But later, due to intensified market competition and poor management, the century-old steel mill began to lose money year after year and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The government of Serbia organized several rounds of international tenders to sell off the plant, all of which failed.

"Smederevo, which then did not have a steel plant, resembled, in a way, a tardy old man," said Mayor Jovan Bec of the city.

In April 2016, as more than 5,000 employees were left helpless, the Hebei Iron and Steel Group (HBIS) from China invested in the establishment of the HBIS GROUP Serbia Iron and Steel (HBIS Serbia).

"In response to the Belt and Road Initiative, and also out of our own business needs, HBIS decided to cooperate with Serbia. In the past, China's steel industry had made some investments overseas, but this was the first ever acquisition and operation of an entire industrial chain," said Song Sihai, executive director of HBIS Serbia.

When he first arrived in Serbia, Song saw that the steel mill equipment was old and the production line had almost ground to a halt. He was not sure that the arrival of the Chinese company could really bring the plant back from the verge of bankruptcy.

Just two months after the establishment of HBIS Serbia, on June 19, 2016, the mill welcomed an important guest.

Thousands of workers, their families and residents of Smederevo gathered at the factory on the day to welcome the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Xi delivered an enthusiastic speech. He pointed out that the cooperation between Chinese and Serbian enterprises had opened a new chapter in production capacity cooperation between the two countries, adding that there was good reason to believe that close cooperation between the two sides would help the steel mill regain its vitality, increase local employment, improve people's living standards and promote Serbia's economic development.

"After President Xi's speech, everyone knew that the Smederevo steel mill was about to usher in a new future. I was very honored to participate in that conversation, and demonstrate to President Xi our hot rolling equipment. I also had the opportunity to have a few minutes of cordial conversation with him," said Vladan Aleksic, director of operations of HBIS Serbia.

In the steel mill's staff cafeteria, President Xi sat down and chatted briskly with the workers. He also received a gift made by workers - a commemorative plaque of the steel mill.

The plaque has now become a testament to the friendship between China and Serbia. It also becomes a witness to the story of a century-old steel plant's revival under the BRI.

"President Xi's visit not only greatly boosted the confidence of our Chinese management team but also greatly inspired the 5,000 Serbian employees," said Song.

The Chinese team brought advanced management and technology to transform the steel mill into a global enterprise in terms of clients and the supply chain, and at the end of 2016, just eight months after HBIS took over, the steel mill turned a profit.

HBIS Serbia invested several hundred million yuan to tear down the outdated facilities and introduce a slew of advanced global technologies to ensure that the steel plant's energy conservation, environmental protection, and green manufacturing practices meet leading European standards.

"Starting from 2018, we have been the largest exporter in Serbia for four consecutive years, breaking the factory's production records of over 100 years," said Song.

"Without a doubt, BRI is a magnificent initiative. It benefits our company and gives the Smederevo Steel Plant a new lease of life. It has also improved the material well-being of the steel plant's employees and local residents," said Aleksic.

By taking active part in the Belt and Road construction and the process of economic globalization, HBIS Serbia has quickly become a highly competitive steel enterprise in Europe and a model for international industrial cooperation.

The revival of the century-old steel plant has also rejuvenated the city, as 20,000 locals now have jobs related to the mill.

The city's unemployment rate has dropped from 18 percent to 6 percent, local birth rate is now ranking high in Serbia, and its fiscal revenue has more than doubled.

"We have invested in roads, hospitals, kindergartens, and more. In all respects, Smederevo is now a better place to live than before. We deeply appreciate everything that the Chinese president and the Chinese people have done for us. The Serbian people will never forget this," said Mayor Bec.

At the opening ceremony of the E763 highway section from New Belgrade to Surcin, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic thanked China for its contribution to Serbia's development.

"The highway is officially open from 9 pm tonight, and citizens can immediately experience its convenience. We thank President Xi for always caring about Serbia. Without China's help, would we have seen an increase in GDP and rapid economic development? How else could we have built so many highways?" he said.

The E763 highway, built with the participation of Chinese companies, promotes connectivity and economic and trade exchanges in the Balkan region.

It is just one of the many projects that benefited the country under the BRI.

The Zemun-Borca Bridge, also known as the "China-Serbia Friendship Bridge," is the first bridge constructed by a Chinese company in Europe.

The Hungary-Serbia Railway, the first high-speed railway project undertaken by a Chinese company in Europe, marks the first-ever technical standards alignment with European railways.

Driven by the Belt and Road Initiative, China-Serbia collaboration has borne rich fruit.

Serbia's economic growth rate has been at the forefront in Europe for several years. For the local people, the BRI means roads and bridges, a bond of friendship, and a promising future.