A factory showed the uglier face of Sino-Serbian partnership | View

A factory showed the uglier face of Sino-Serbian partnership | View

The Sino-Serbian partnership has blossomed in recent years — according to the National Bank of Serbia, Chinese investments in Serbia have grown to more than $2 billion (€1.8 billion) in the past ten years while publicly available data show Chinese infrastructural loans in Serbia exceed $8 billion.

However, the case of the Serbian town of Zrenjanin, where the Chinese tire manufacturer Linglong is building a tire factory, tells the darker story of the partnership: one where Chinese business projects degrade environmental and labour standards, endangering the rule of law in the country receiving Chinese financing.