Off the wire
• Vice mayor of Shanghai removed from post  • Average wages in Spain at lowest level since 2007  • Rare winter floods ravages east China  • China Voice: China an active force in regional economic integration  • Chinese president back home after G20, APEC summits  • Greenpeace says palm oil firms responsible for forest fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan  • 1st LD Writethru: French National Assembly backs extension of State of Emergency to three months  • Police chief says Ramadi to be cleared from IS "within days"  • Postal Services of Portugal to open CTT bank  • 1st LD: Two Israelis killed, 1 wounded in Palestinian stabbing attack in Tel Aviv  
You are here: 　 Home

Roundup: Macedonia looks to boost cooperation, bilateral ties with China

Xinhua, November 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski will attend the fourth leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries in east China's Suzhou city from Nov. 24 to 25.

It will be Gruevski's third visit to China, and the official aims to reaffirm the friendly and cooperative relationship between both countries.

There have been several examples of Macedonia-China cooperation of late. A train was purchased from China's CRRC Corporation to use for the Macedonian railway on Nov. 15.

The electric train has a capacity of 200 passengers and is the first of six trains purchased by the Macedonian government from China. CRRC Corporation will supply another electric train by the end of the year, and four other diesel trains in the first quarter of 2016.

Cooperation between Macedonia and China extends in many other areas such as infrastructure, trade, defense, education and culture.

Former Macedonian diplomat to China Risto Nikovski said Macedonia should aspire to maximize cooperation with China. "China has proven to be the world's economic miracle from the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century," he said.

Among other projects, two of the main new highways in the country: Miladinovci-Stip and Kicevo-Ohrid, are being built with a loan from China worth nearly 580 million euros (713 million U.S. dollars).

The highways, financed through the Chinese Exim Bank, are being built by the Sinohydro Corporation from China in cooperation with major Macedonian construction companies.

The first highway, 50 km long, will connect capital the Skopje to the town of Stip, an important economic hub in the east. The other one, 57 km long is being built in the west of the country, improving the connection to the tourism center Ohrid.

Macedonian businessmen are interested in the potential of the enormous Chinese market. Although big transport expenses for now remain a high obstacle, the volume of trade exchange between the two countries constantly increases.

In the first nine months of 2015, total export of Macedonian goods to the Chinese market was worth 111 million euros (118 million U.S. dollars), which is 2.5 times more compared to the same period last year, according to the Macedonian Statistical Office.

Wine, marble and meat are the best selling Macedonian products in China.

"Macedonia and China maintain strong bilateral cultural and economic relations, which are currently at historically high levels. We build our relations based on the spirit of friendship, mutual understanding and respect. In the last several years, China ranks among the biggest trade partners for Macedonia," the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Over 100 Macedonian companies are members of the association for trade and business relations with China in the Union of Chambers of Commerce in Skopje.

"Companies in the field of construction, trade and heavy industry have strongest links with China at present. We are constantly working to improve and facilitate procedures for this cooperation," said president of the Union Daniela Aleksovska. Enditem