Serbian President-elect Aleksandar Vucic Meets with Huawei Chairwoman Sun Yafang in Beijing

[Beijing, China,May 14, 2017] Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Prime Minister and President-elect, met with Huawei's Chairwoman, Sun Yafang, in Beijing this afternoon. Together they reviewed the history of cooperation between Huawei and Serbia, then moved on to discuss Serbia's national ICT strategy and digital transformation initiatives. Before the meeting, General Manager of Huawei Serbia, Wei Wenyuan, signed a strategic partnership agreement for future ICT infrastructure development with the Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia, Mladen Sarcevic.

Vucic and Sun witness the signing of the strategic partnership agreement

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic recognized Huawei's development efforts in Serbia, noting that collaboration between Huawei, the Serbian government, and local telecom operators has significantly promoted the development of the local ICT sector. This has helped lay a solid foundation for the future upgrade of communications infrastructure and the government's digital transformation. Vucic is eager to strengthen the country's strategic partnership with Huawei and hit the ground running. Immediate goals include streamlining government processes, improving quality of life, and further promoting economic development.

Sun expressed great appreciation for the prime minister's trust and recognition. "ICT development is a major driver of economic growth," said Sun. "Huawei is ready and willing to move forward in our strategic partnership with the Serbian government. Serbia is in a crucial time of social and technological transformation. Based on a robust cloud platform, Serbia has the potential for unprecedented leapfrog development as it plans and builds forward-looking smart cities and e-Government solutions. At Huawei, we will make good on our project goals, and share our global experience and best practices to help further promote ICT development in Serbia."

Huawei entered the Serbian market in 2005 and has since forged strategic partnerships with the three major Serbian operators, rolling out high-speed networks for the Serbian people. Additionally, Huawei has engaged in strategic cooperation with multiple Serbian ministries, major businesses, and municipalities in the ICT sector, working in national broadband, safe city, smart education, smart grid, and smart city domains. Beyond ICT development projects, corporate social responsibility is one of Huawei's key focuses in Serbia, where the company has implemented its Seeds for the Future program and has built an eLTE lab to help cultivate local talent.

Also present at the meeting were Zorana Mihajlovic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure; Sinisa Mali, the Mayor of Belgrade; Li Manchang, Ambassador of China to Serbia; and Milan Bacevic, Ambassador of Serbia to China.