Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Liu Jian, chairman of Hebei-based HBIS Group, in Beijing on Tuesday during his state visit to China, where he praised the steelmaker for its contributions to Serbia's economy and reaffirmed support for joint green energy projects.

Vucic said that over the past decade, the Smederevo steel plant that was purchased by HBIS in 2016, known as the HBIS Serbia project, has brought benefits to both the steel mill and the Serbian people, according to a press release by HBIS on Wednesday.

He thanked the company for strengthening the friendship between the two countries and added that the Serbian government would continue supporting green energy and low-carbon initiatives at the plant.

Liu thanked Vucic and the Serbian government for their long-standing support, noting that the HBIS Serbia project has maintained steady growth over its ten years of operations. He pledged that the company would pursue green energy and technology upgrades as the plant develops and contribute to a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.