The total area of the country is only more than 80,000 square kilometers, and the population is more than 8 million (including Kosovo), plus the country is located in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula, and the population of the largest city Belgrade is more than 1 million people, so if you want to develop the economy, it is not enough to rely on Serbia's own market.
However, what makes Serbia even more difficult is that since Montenegro "decorated", Serbia has lost all its coastline and access to the sea and has become a purely landlocked country, which has greatly hindered Serbia's foreign trade and economic development. Moreover, Serbia's neighboring countries, with the exception of Bosnia and Herzegovina, are almost all members of the European Union and NATO, and in this case, if Serbia wants to develop its economy, it has in the past only through cooperation with the EU or, preferably, through direct accession to the EU.
But how could the Western world, which has always been hostile to Serbia, easily give Serbia a "ticket" to the EU? From the EU's point of view, if Serbia is to be admitted, it needs to "show loyalty" to Europe and the Western world. Specifically, the EU has set up two major obstacles to Serbia's accession, both of which are difficult for Serbia to overcome.
The EU has made it clear that if Serbia wants to join the EU, then it needs to join the unreasonable attitude of the United States and the West towards Russia
"Sanctions", and at the same time recognize Kosovo. This is obviously difficult for Serbia to agree to, and the former is tantamount to making Serbia directly turn its back on its largest and longest-standing partner in Europe, leaving Serbia in a situation of isolation and helplessness in Europe. And if Serbia really follows the EU to "sanction" Russia, it may not be accepted by the EU, after all, Armenia and Georgia are in front of them. The so-called "recognition" of Kosovo is even more unacceptable to Serbia, and it concerns the sovereignty and dignity of the Serbian state.
It can be seen that today, the EU's admission ticket has become a tool for the United States and the West to threaten Serbia, with the dilemma of economic development on the one hand, and the difficult problem of diplomacy and sovereignty on the other, which undoubtedly puts Serbia in a dilemma.
However, with the progress of the times, Serbia now has another option outside the EU, and that is the BRICS cooperation mechanism. The original intention of the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism is to provide a new platform for developing countries to strengthen mutual cooperation, promote economic exchanges, and "stay warm" outside the economic systems of the United States and the West. Due to the economic monopoly and economic hegemony of the United States and the West, the vast number of developing countries really need to look for new opportunities outside the economic system of the United States and the West. After years of development, the BRICS cooperation mechanism is now thriving, with the number of member countries increasing to 10, the total population exceeding 45% of the world's population, the total economic share of the global economy accounting for 37% (already surpassing the G7 and the European Union), and producing 44% of the world's crude oil.
Therefore, in this case, Serbia, which is eager to develop its economy and does not want to be "stuck" by the United States and the West, will naturally be very interested in the BRICS mechanism, which can obviously provide Serbia with a broader economic stage than the European Union. Previously, Serbia has also repeatedly voiced its desire to join the BRICS, including Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin, who has publicly stated that the BRICS is Serbia's choice and hope, and the BRICS will not ask Serbia for anything, but will help.
However, at present, it seems unlikely that Serbia will join the BRICS in the short term. Because not so long ago, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has publicly stated that, after the decision of the BRICS member states, the BRICS will temporarily stop expanding its membership in order to "digest" the accession of new members.
This is actually very understandable, after all, the BRICS mechanism is actually very young, and the establishment time is not very long, after the last round of expansion to absorb five new members in one go, it really needs to be "digested and integrated" in order to be able to better develop. Therefore, in the short term, the rest of the countries that want to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism, including Serbia, may have to "wait" a little longer.
However, China has not stood idly by for Serbia's economic development needs, although Serbia cannot join the BRICS for the time being, but it can directly face a huge market with a population of 1.3 billion through cooperation with China! According to the public information of the Ministry of Commerce of China, on July 1, the China-Cyprus Free Trade Agreement has officially entered into force! In the future, up to 95% of the trade between the two countries will be "zero tariff"!
This is undoubtedly great news for Serbia! China can also benefit from this. Serbia is mountainous, which makes the development of fruit cultivation, animal husbandry, etc., very good, the country has more than 1.4 million hectares of pastures and pastures, more than 200,000 hectares of orchards, and more than 50,000 hectares of vineyards. Plums, apples, raspberries, etc., produced in Serbia are well-known in Europe and the world. It can be seen that in the near future, these delicious fruits and vegetables from Serbia are likely to appear on the table of all of us.
"Walter Defends Sarajevo" is a movie that the Chinese and Serbian people love, "Ah Friend, Goodbye" is a song sung by the Chinese and Serbian people, and the Kosovo War is also an unforgettable memory shared by China and Serbia. Therefore, in the face of Serbia's development needs, it is natural for China to lend a helping hand, which not only reflects the traditional friendship between China and Serbia, but also reflects China's long-standing responsibility as a major country.
It is believed that after the China-Cyprus Free Trade Agreement officially enters into force this month, the development of the "European Cypriot Railway" will get better and better, and the friendship between China and Cyprus will also be able to open a new magnificent chapter!