China-Serbia free trade agreement to take effect

The free trade agreement (FTA) between China and Serbia will go into effect on July 1 and both countries have completed respective domestic approval processes, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced Friday.

According to the deal signed in October 2023, approximately 90 percent of the products traded between China and Serbia will be exempted from tariffs, while over 60 percent of them will enjoy zero tariffs immediately after the FTA goes into effect.

The tariffs on 95 percent of the products of both sides will be gradually reduced to zero, the MOC said.

"China's cars, lithium batteries, telecommunication and mechanical equipment and many agricultural and aquatic products will gradually enjoy zero-tariffs when entering the Serbian market. And Serbia's major export products such as beef, wine, nuts, generators and motors will also be gradually exempted from tariff when entering the Chinese market. Consumers of both countries will enjoy more, better and cheaper imported products, and enterprises of the two countries will be able to strengthen investment cooperation and industrial chains integration to jointly improve their international competitiveness," said Chen Zhiyang, deputy head of the MOC Department of International Economic and Trade Relations.

The implementation of the FTA will provide institutional arrangements for China-Serbia economic and trade cooperation. Although Serbia is not yet a member of the WTO, the two sides have promised that their practices concerning rules of origin, trade remedies, and dispute settlement will comply with the WTO rules and have made more detailed provisions in the agreement, which will offer a more stable and transparent business environment for bilateral business cooperation.

"We have published the text of the agreement and related annexes on the China FTA Network. Enterprises are advised to take the initiative to understand and study the content of the agreement and related preferential measures such as tariff reduction for products, rules of origin, requirements for the use of origin documents to take full advantage of the agreement," Chen said.

China-Serbia free trade agreement to take effect

China's Shenzhou-18 crew members on the Tiangong Space Station are preparing for their second extravehicular activities (EVAs) by conducting training that includes science experiments and orbital maneuvers.

Astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu have completed one-third of their six-month mission with stable physical and operational conditions in orbit, since they aboarded the Tiangong two month ago.

During their training, the astronauts used advanced remotely control systems for rendezvous and docking operations on in-orbit training systems and metacognitive training systems, practicing skills such as recognizing images, manual docking, remote docking, and safely undocking of the spacecraft under different initial conditions.

Throughout the training, the astronauts monitored the orientation and relative distance and speed of target spacecraft on screens, practicing precise control of the speed and orientation using specialized handles.

Last week, the crew also underwent exercise-based cardiopulmonary function tests. These tests assess the cardiovascular and respiratory capabilities needed for upcoming spacewalks, using methods to simulate exercise-induced metabolic demands.

The Shenzhou-18 crew was launched into space on April 25, as the third manned mission during the application and development stage of China's space station and the 32nd flight mission of the country's manned space program overall.

The crew members completed their first spacewalk on May 28, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

China's Shenzhou-18 crew trains for 2nd spacewalk