In early May, blooming tulips in Serbia’s mining city Bor showcased how Chinese enterprises are helping local mines advance green governance and ecological restoration.

Bor once relied on high-pollution resource exploitation. "Eight years ago, the air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfides, and you could physically feel the irritation in your throat from the pollution. But today, that is entirely gone," said Gordan Micic, an employee of Serbia Zijin Copper Doo Bor (SZC). SZC deputy director Zhong Junhua also recalled the mine’s once severe environmental situation caused by insufficient environmental investment.

Established in 2018 by China’s Zijin Mining Group and the Serbian government, SZC has promoted the mine’s green transition through facility upgrades, optimized management, green mining concepts and ecological rehabilitation technologies. It has upgraded smelting and desulfurization systems, controlled dust and waste gas, reclaimed around 350,000 square meters of wasteland, and built 19 environmental pump stations.

Eight years of eco-friendly mining have greatly improved local ecology: sulfur dioxide concentrations, particulate heavy metals and dust pollution have been sharply reduced, and local river water quality has met official standards.

Sasa Maksimovski, head of SZC's ecology department, said the company has completed 4.3 million square meters of landscaping and planted about 1.3 million saplings over seven years. "You can see these projects with your own eyes on site; it is already a sea of green," he remarked. He also noted the introduction of advanced Chinese technologies such as hydroseeding, and shared his study tour experience in China: "Last year, I traveled to several places in China for study and exchange, visiting smelters, lithium projects, open-pit mines, and various greening projects. That experience largely changed my perception. China's development speed is incredibly fast, and these technologies are not yet widely applied in Serbia."

Zhong Junhua added that China’s mature mine renovation models and technologies will be further applied locally to bring more benefits to Serbian residents.