GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN DODIK AND XI JINPING A FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPING TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS

JAHORINA, MAY 27 /SRNA/ - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Staša Košarac said today that good relations between Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and Chinese President Xi Jinping are a sufficient foundation for developing trade and economic relations.

He expressed his gratitude to China for understanding the political circumstances in BiH and for the very clear position of its Ambassador to the UN regarding the illegitimacy of Christian Schmidt. Regarding his visit to China, Košarac told reporters that during meetings with Chinese officials, they discussed not only the political situation in BiH and the very detrimental actions of the illegitimate /High Representative/ Christian Schmidt, but also ways to improve trade and economic relations between the two countries. "China is ready and open, and I believe that in BiH we will have this same openness from all political actors who make decisions at the BiH level, so that we can make progress," Košarac added. Košarac pointed out that the path to the EU is a one-way street, with certain difficulties and problems, and that a wise policy for BiH would be to show openness towards China, just as Serbia has done. "Serbia has a free trade agreement with China, and we see that this has created basic elements for strengthening Serbia’s economy. So why shouldn’t we do the same? My appeal was to have an open discussion about this. Additionally, we are also talking about agreements with other countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and others," said Košarac, who is also the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers. He also added that Željka Cvijanović, the Serb member of the Presidency, by leading BiH’s foreign policy, supports such a shift without abandoning European principles and trends. According to him, 37 Chinese companies have expressed interest in investing in energy, tourism, healthcare, and new technologies. He says that there are plans to build a ski hall on Ravna Planina, where skiing could be possible all 365 days of the year, with an estimated cost of around 30 million Euros. “Several municipalities in Republika Srpska have established sister-city relationships with cities in China, which demonstrates the readiness of local communities to develop their economies and advocate for the creation of free zones with Chinese companies that are willing to come and invest,” Košarac emphasized. The minister pointed out that Republika Srpska has the most favorable tax policy, with a profit tax rate of ten percent, while dividend payments are not taxed. “That demonstrates the stimulative tax policies of Republika Srpska, which Chinese companies recognize, and I believe we will have concrete business arrangements,” Košarac said.