Images of billboards on the streets of Belgrade offering “thanks” to China have been published around the world, but there may be more to the unusual signage than meets the eye.
Public Displays Of Affection? Chinese Signage In Serbia Sparks EU Ire
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A banner in central Belgrade on April 18 saying: “Serbs And Chinese, Brothers Forever.”
Ognjen Zoric, a Serbian journalist with RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, says there is genuine goodwill toward China among the Serbian public, especially after the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia that China opposed, but signs like these may be aimed at getting the EU’s attention. Serbia has been a candidate for EU accession since 2011.
Ognjen Zoric, a Serbian journalist with RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, says there is genuine goodwill toward China among the Serbian public, especially after the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia that China opposed, but signs like these may be aimed at getting the EU’s attention. Serbia has been a candidate for EU accession since 2011.
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A screen shows a rippling Chinese flag in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. This is one of several displays of pro-Chinese messaging installed across Serbia during the coronavirus pandemic.
![A sign apparently paid for by Informer, a Serbian newspaper aligned with the government. The billboard reads: "Thanks Brother [Chinese President] Xi." The sign was installed after China sent medical supplies to Serbia amid the coronavirus pandemic. It remains unclear how much of the delivery was paid for and how much was donated. China has been widely criticized for its failure to contain the virus outbreak when it began in Wuhan in late 2019. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/2F874CEC-1100-41CE-9260-11DBF3CFF627_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A sign apparently paid for by Informer, a Serbian newspaper aligned with the government. The billboard reads: "Thanks Brother [Chinese President] Xi."
The sign was installed after China sent medical supplies to Serbia amid the coronavirus pandemic. It remains unclear how much of the delivery was paid for and how much was donated. China has been widely criticized for its failure to contain the virus outbreak when it began in Wuhan in late 2019.
The sign was installed after China sent medical supplies to Serbia amid the coronavirus pandemic. It remains unclear how much of the delivery was paid for and how much was donated. China has been widely criticized for its failure to contain the virus outbreak when it began in Wuhan in late 2019.
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A banner linking Serbian and Chinese flags, and Serbian and Russian ones, on a municipal building in southern Belgrade on April 13. The Cyrillic script on the left says: “Iron Friends, Together In Good And Evil!" and on the right: “Thank You Brother Russia!”