MEMORANDUM

OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS OF REPUBLIC OF SERBIA AND MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THE COOPERATION IN THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

("Off. Herald of RS - Treaties", No. 2/2024)

The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of Republic of Serbia, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Parties):

Referring to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technologies of the People’s Republic of China on cooperation in the field of telecommunications and information technologies, signed on August 26, 2013;

In view of the long-standing friendship and comprehensive deep strategic partnership between Serbia and China;

Recognizing the increasingly important role of information and communications technologies in promoting socio-economic development in recent years;

Noting that the Parties have introduced a number of strategies and policies to promote the development of information and communications, and that cooperation between enterprises of the two countries in this field has intensified in recent years;

Agreeing that further strengthening cooperation in information and communications will help improve development capacity of the two countries in this field and deepen bilateral economic and trade partnership;

Hereby agree as follows:

Article 1

Purpose

Subject to laws, regulations and provisions of the two countries, and in accordance with their respective responsibilities and the principle of equal consultation and mutual benefit, the Parties agree to engage in exchange of policies, regulations and technical standards in information and communications, promote cooperation between research institutions and enterprises of the two countries and contribute to the information and communications industry of the two countries.

Article 2

Scope of Cooperation

The exchange and cooperation between the Parties include but are not limited to the following areas:

1. Sharing of best practices and experiences on laws, regulations and policies of telecommunications and information and communication technologies (telecommunications/ICTs);

2. Key technologies, standards and applications in the next-generation communications sectors and industrial development;

3. Development and application of new technologies including cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, AI and intelligent photovoltaics;

4. Application of digital transformation and digital technology in the economy, including for industry, education, health and the environment;

5. Deployment of communications infrastructure, especially broadband networks and data centers;

6. Best practices and sharing of experiences on laws, regulations and policies of cyber security;

7. Universal service promotion measures and best practices in telecommunications and ICTs;

8. Continue cooperation in the field of digital economy under the framework of the "Belt and Road" initiative and promote further development of e-government.

Article 3

Forms of Cooperation

The Parties agree to cooperate in the following forms:

1. Send delegations to each other on exchange visits;

2. Encourage exchange and cooperation between industry organizations, research institutions and universities;

3. Encourage and promote enterprises of the two countries, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to carry out exchanges and cooperation in various forms;

4. Promote talent and digital skills training in information and communications;

5. Other forms of cooperation as determined by the Parties.

Each Party shall bear their own costs incurred in activities under this Memorandum of Understanding (hereinafter referred to as this MOU).

Article 4

Implementation

The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of Republic of Serbia and International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China shall be responsible for the implementation of what is determined in this MOU. Each Party shall designate a liaison officer to be responsible for the coordination and implementation of this MOU.

Article 5

Confidentiality

Without the written consent of the other Party, neither Party shall provide to a third Party any information or documents provided by the other Party for the implementation of this MOU and required to be kept confidential, unless required by the law in the country where the Party is located.

Article 6

Dispute Resolution

In case of any disputes or disagreements arising in the implementation of this MOU, the parties shall resolve them through friendly negotiations.

Article 7

Amendment

This MOU may be amended based on mutual consent, and any amendments shall be considered an integral part of this MOU and shall take effect in compliance with Article 8 of this MOU.

Article 8

Entry into Force, Validity and Termination

This MOU shall enter into force on the date of signature by the Parties and shall be valid for a period of five (5) years.

If one Party decides to bring this MOU to an early termination, it shall notify the other Party in written forms 90 days in advance; the early termination of this MOU would not affect ongoing projects or activities; if neither Party proposes to terminate this MOU in written forms before the expiration of the validity period, this MOU would be automatically extended for three (3) years and renewed accordingly.

This MOU is signed in triplicate in Belgrade on May 18 th 2024 in Chinese, Serbian, and English. All three versions shall be deemed equally authentic. In case of disagreement on the interpretation of the text, the English version shall prevail.

Representative of the Ministry
of Industry and Information Technology of the
People’s Republic of China

 

Representative of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of Republic of Serbia