BELGRADE, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The 66th International Fair of Technology and Technical Achievements, which opened here Tuesday, attracted over 600 exhibitors from domestic and international markets, according to Jelena Begovic, minister of science, innovation and technical development.
Inaugurating the fair together with Ana Brnabic, speaker of Serbia's National Assembly and Chen Jiachang, vice minister of science and technology of China, Begovic highlighted this year's slogan "Play for Humanity, Science for All" and the theme "Step into a Sustainable Future."
The four-day fair, which drew 250 exhibitors from 32 countries, including 30 companies from China, features innovative products, ideas and solutions for future development developed by scientific and research organizations and individuals from Serbia and partner countries like China, Begovic added.
Highlighting that Serbia is a leader in innovation, digitization, IT and artificial intelligence (AI), Brnabic noted the Serbian government will continue to support the development of scientific infrastructure.
She also underscored the importance of the country's expanding network of science and technology parks, many of which were constructed by Chinese companies, as valuable investments for the future.
"These investments will not only recover the funds we have allocated but are already proving highly beneficial. Investing in science and people truly means investing in the future," said Brnabic.
Noting that Chinese participants representing such key industries as IT, space technology, AI, biomedicine and autonomous vehicles, Chen said that only fair and non-discriminatory cooperation can overcome global challenges like climate change and COVID-19.
China has embraced the initiative of international cooperation, and that scientific collaboration knows no boundaries and should benefit all humanity, Chen noted. ■