Chinese-built road will boost development in Serbia: President

The Chinese company which is in charge of building an expressway in western Serbia might finish the project ahead of time, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday while touring the construction site near the town of Klanica, highlighting the benefits it will bring to local communities. Vucic, who visited the site of the Iverak-Lajkovac expressway together with Chinese Ambassador Chen Bo, noted that the project is progressing steadily thanks to the efforts of the Shandong Hi-Speed Group and its Serbian partners. Construction on the 18.3-km road which is worth 158 million euros started in June 2020, and once completed, it will connect the upcoming Belgrade-South Adriatic highway with parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the West and the Corridor 10 to the east, putting the city of Valjevo in the focus of Serbia's development plans. According to a press release of the President's office, Vucic stressed the importance of the new road for the "development, life and future" of the city of Valjevo, and expressed the hope that the Chinese contractors could finish it before December 2022, although the contract stipulates that the entire project needs to be completed before December 2023.