OREANDA-NEWS. January 12, 2015. Zemun-Borca Bridge constructed by CRBC under CCCC was open to traffic. The project is the first bridge constructed by a Chinese company in Europe as well as a successful exploration and demonstrative project under the China-Central and Eastern Europe cooperation mechanism. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic attended the opening ceremony. Chen Fenjian, president of CCCC, presided over the ceremony. Among other attendees were the Chinese and Serbian governments' persons in charge and Wen Gang, president assistant of CCCC and chairman of CRBC.

The two heads of state delivered speeches at the ceremony. Li expected that Zemun-Borca Bridge would be a bridge of friendship bringing the hearts of the two peoples closer and a symbol of globalization of Chinese equipment. In his speech, Vucic noted that bridges are important bonds of mutual and equal exchanges between different nations, adding that Zemun-Borca Bridge has not only linked the banks of the Danube, but also enhanced Sino-Serbian friendship. Some 20,000 locals observed the opening ceremony.

Located in the northwest of the planned inner ring of Belgrade, capital of Serbia, the project of Zemun-Borca Bridge and its auxiliary connection line project have a full length of some 21.3 kilometers, of which the part spanning the Danube is Zemun-Borca Bridge stretching 1,482 meters. The bridge design follows the principles of safety, economy, utility and aesthetics, and the 172-meter main span is ranked top among similar bridges in the world. The project contract was signed on April 15, 2010, the project commenced on October 27, 2011, the main bridge was closed on January 22, 2014 and the main structure of the bridge was connected on July 14, 2014. After being open to traffic, the bridge will ease the traffic pressure of the downtown and significantly alleviate the situation of traffic congestion. After its completion, the project will shorten the travel time from more than an hour to 10 minutes.

High-quality work has made Zemun-Borca Bridge Serbia's first major project completed punctually and successfully in recent 20 years so as to boost the popularity of Chinese enterprises in Central and Eastern Europe. The project has won a utility model patent in China, a research project has achieved periodic results and the project is proposed to enter for China Lu Ban Construction Award (Overseas Projects). CRBC has received the "Outstanding Enterprise Contribution Award" from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry due to the project's success, and the project has gained unanimous praise from the Serbian side.

Zemun-Borca Bridge is a major cooperative infrastructural project between China and Central and Eastern European countries. As the first symbol shown by Chinese infrastructure enterprises to Central and Eastern Europe, the built-up bridge has established the favorable brand image of CCCC.