{"id":20077,"date":"2026-04-29T11:15:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yihr.rs\/?p=20077"},"modified":"2026-05-08T12:13:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T11:13:08","slug":"panel-serbia-and-china-a-steel-friendship-in-violating-human-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yihr.rs\/en\/panel-serbia-and-china-a-steel-friendship-in-violating-human-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Panel \u201cSerbia and China: A Steel Friendship in Violating Human Rights\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The speakers at the panel were <\/span>Katarina Panteli\u0107<\/b>, journalist at Nova Ekonomija; <\/span>Stefan Vladisavljev<\/b>, Program Director at the BFPE Foundation; and <\/span>Dejan Markovi\u0107<\/b>, a Falun Gong practitioner and Director of the Serbian-Chinese Friendship Society. The panel was moderated by Ivana Nikoli\u0107, Research Coordinator at the Youth Initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stefan Vladisavljev briefly outlined the history of Serbia\u2013China relations over the past twenty years, noting that the relationship initially relied on economic cooperation and Chinese foreign direct investment, but over time evolved into open support that China provides to Serbia in various areas, including on the issue of Kosovo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChina\u2019s positioning as a provider of development on a global level is something the Chinese Communist Party deliberately does. It\u2019s not that Vu\u010di\u0107 or anyone else suddenly wants to promote China – it\u2019s because China seeks to create such a perception of itself globally,\u201d Vladisavljev stated, adding that such a partner is valued by various authoritarian governments, including the one in Serbia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katarina Panteli\u0107 addressed the operations of numerous Chinese companies in Serbia, noting that China is indeed one of Serbia\u2019s largest economic partners. However, she pointed to numerous shortcomings and irregularities in the work of Chinese companies, particularly regarding violations of workers\u2019 rights and environmental protection regulations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about the companies themselves, but about the fact that they are allowed to behave this way. And who allows it? The Serbian state allows them to treat workers and the environment in this manner,\u201d Panteli\u0107 explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the reasons for organizing the panel was a <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> published by the Youth Initiative in 2025 titled <\/span>\u201cSerbia vs \u2018Falun Gong\u2019: (Un)Friendly Ties of Steel – Unlawful Detention of Falun Gong Practitioners during the Visit of the Chinese President to Serbia in May 2024\u201d.<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

Dejan Markovi\u0107 presented the history of the Falun Gong group, explaining that it is a form of Chinese meditation, and pointed to the pressure and persecution the group faces from Chinese authorities. He also addressed the position of Falun Gong in Serbia, where, due to the close relations between the two countries, they also face pressure, citing several examples since the Serbian Progressive Party came to power.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn the day before the Chinese president\u2019s arrival, the Criminal Police Directorate preemptively detained eight Falun Gong activists, and all of them ended up spending the night in police stations in Belgrade. There were no charges, not even questioning. We were held until the Chinese president left, and after that we were released with an apology from the police,\u201d Markovi\u0107 explained, referring to the case from May 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the very end, all panel participants reflected on the future of Serbia\u2013China relations. Stefan Vladisavljev and Katarina Panteli\u0107 agreed that China will remain one of the most important trading partners for a long time, and that Serbia, regardless of the government, will continue to take loans and repay Chinese credits. However, all participants agreed that Serbia must not allow Chinese companies to operate outside domestic regulations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChina will be what we as a state allow it to be,\u201d Vladisavljev concluded, while Markovi\u0107 added: \u201cThe rule of law is the solution to everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Youth Initiative for Human Rights, in cooperation with Students for Liberty, held a panel titled \u201cSerbia and China: A Steel Friendship in Violating Human Rights\u201d on April 28, 2026, at the European House. The panel focused on Serbia\u2013China relations and the consequences of these relations for the citizens of both countries. The event was organized as part of the conference New Frontiers for Liberty.","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPanel \u201cSerbia and China: A Steel Friendship in Violating Human Rights\u201d - YIHR.rs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/yihr.rs\/en\/panel-serbia-and-china-a-steel-friendship-in-violating-human-rights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Panel \u201cSerbia and China: A Steel Friendship in Violating Human Rights\u201d - YIHR.rs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Youth Initiative for Human Rights, in cooperation with Students for Liberty, held a panel titled \u201cSerbia and China: A Steel Friendship in Violating Human Rights\u201d on April 28, 2026, at the European House. 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