The Chinese Ministry of National Defence had donated 15 engineering machines and vehicles including six brand new military unloading trucks, two tank hauliers with semi-trailers, two trucks with a loading crane, three backhoe loaders and one bulldozer and a compact loader with spare parts, at Rajlovac Barracks near Sarajevo on Wednesday.

“The cooperation with the People's Republic of China has its continuity,” said Minister Podzic. “This has resulted in a great contribution to the modernization of the Armed Forces of BiH, which in previous years has already taken over part of the engineering machines donated by the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China. Today, we are taking over a new donation, in accordance with the previously signed agreement between the Ministry of Defense of BiH and the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China, the value of which is around 2.5 million Bosnian marks (some €1.25 million). ”

Ambassador Ping, in his address, pointed out that over the past 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bosnia, friendly relations between the two countries have been deepening, while relations between the armies of our two countries have risen to a higher level.

“Our armed forces maintain exchanges and mutual visits at a high level, with the continuous deepening of cooperation. I believe that in this way we are contributing to the further understanding and development of trust between the People's Republic of China and BiH. In the future, we are ready to further strengthen cooperation and coordination with the BiH Armed Forces, especially in the areas of peacekeeping operations, training and education of personnel,” concluded Ambassador Ping.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by Bosnia's Minister of Defence Sifet Podzic, Deputy Minister of Defence for Resource Management Mirko Okolic, and on behalf of the donors – the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China, Ambassador Ji Ping and the military envoy of the People's Republic of China to BiH, Brigadier Su Qiang and his associates.