Post-Pandemic Cooperation between China and Serbia: Innovative Technologies and Medicine
Jelica Gordanić
Abstract
Due to the Covid-19 vaccines and generous medical donations, the influence and reputation of China in the CEE exceeded the other global actors, primarily the European Union and the US. The Republic of Serbia gives great significance to cooperation and partnership with China. Cooperation between the two countries has been evidenced before the pandemic by numerous projects in the fields of trade, infrastructure and energy. The reputation of China has grown significantly in Serbia during the pandemic, which makes excellent preconditions for successful post-epidemic cooperation. The paper examines the possibilities and perspectives of the post- epidemic cooperation of Serbia and China in two spheres: innovative, modern technologies and medical cooperation. The necessity and potential of cooperation between two countries on robotics and artificial intelligence have been emphasized at the meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in October 2021 in Belgrade. Opportunities for medical cooperation between Serbia and China exist in the testing of natural medicines and food safety, scientific research and development of new medicines, as well as the area of military medicine and telemedicine. The paper concludes that cooperation in these fields might be beneficial for both parties. For China, cooperation with Serbia can have a positive spillover on other countries in the Balkan region. On the other side, with the support of China, Serbia can learn about new technologies and strengthen its reputation and position in Europe.
Keywords: China, Serbia, cooperation, innovative technologies, robotics, medicine, military medicine, telemedicine.