Chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Presidency Milorad Dodik (L) and Chinese Ambassador to BiH Chen Bo attend a banquet in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dec. 18, 2018. There is a great friendship, support and understanding between peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina and China, Dodik told Xinhua in an exclusive interview here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiuzhi)
SARAJEVO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- There is a great friendship, support and understanding between peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and China, Chairman of BiH Presidency Milorad Dodik told Xinhua in an exclusive interview here on Tuesday.
The president spoke on the current project and agreements signed between BiH and China, highlighting the successful, intensive cooperation that the two states have had, especially in the last four years.
Dodik said the "friendship, support and understanding between the two peoples" of BiH and China helped bring to building a thermal power plant in Republika Srpska (RS), one of the entities in BiH, which happened during his mandate as President of RS.
"We are glad that one of the already realized, the biggest project of thermal power plant, under the One Belt One Road Initiative-16 plus One, is located in Republika Srpska," Dodik explained.
He also talked about the agreement that RS authorities have signed with China, granting the concession for the construction of highway 42 kilometers long that will be connecting cities of Banja Luka and Prijedor with a total value of 297 million euros (337.5 million U.S. dollars).
"We already have one agreement signed regarding the highway construction, and the second one is in preparation," Dodik added.
"Also, in Doboj, a hospital will be built by the Chinese company which took on the obligation to build the object and to install the most contemporary, modern equipment," Dodik announced.
Dodik also said there are several other projects that BiH will be doing with China and that Republika Srpska has shown the ability to accept the partnership with companies from China and to realize them.