BANJA LUKA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) promotes global development and builds not only infrastructure but also a good relationship among peoples and countries, Chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) Presidency Milorad Dodik has said.
"We saw BRI projects as a serious chance for development," Dodik told Xinhua, adding that Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of BiH, responded quickly to Belt and Road cooperation with official incentives for implementing related projects.
"We will continue to stay dedicated to the initiative and try to mutually create more projects," said Dodik, who served as the president of Republika Srpska between 2010 and 2018.
"The government, without doubt, accepts the initiative and values it," he added.
Dodik also said Balkan countries welcome Chinese investments in the region, to which BiH belongs.
"Chinese investments in the Balkans are welcomed as a good chance for the development of the Balkan region as a whole," said Dodik, adding that he meets with Chinese business partners on a daily basis.
He took as an example the completion and successful operation of the Stanari thermal power station in the region, highlighting the power plant's strict compliance with the European Union's environmental standards.
Dodik also recalled his visit to the Chinese tech company Huawei several years ago, saying Huawei's technological advances are "much higher than those of other technological companies in the world."
"We do not have any negative experience (in cooperating with Huawei)," said Dodik. "Huawei cooperates with our telecom operator and there is not any security threat."
Commenting on the trade dispute between the United States and China, Dodik said that instead of excluding others and imposing its solutions on others, China is dedicated to mutual cooperation and mutual interests.
China's response to the trade dispute gives chance for reaching an agreement and preserving the main elements of the international order, he said.
China's success is not made at the expense of other people's interests, Dodik concluded.
