Abstract:
Serbia is rich in mineral resources, holding a prominent competitive advantage in European for lithium, boron, copper, and gold. Specifically, the country has proven resources of 2.59 Mt of lithium oxide and 20.7 Mt of boron oxide, along with copper reserves of 5.45 Mt (resources: 21.64 Mt) and gold reserves of 70 t (resources: 809 t). Through a systematical review of Serbia's mineral resource endowment, current mining development status, and mining policies, it is proposed that there are four major advantages in Serbia's mining investment climate, including rich mineral resources, a stable political and economic environment, favorable mining policies, and competitive operational costs. Conversely, investors should be aware of two key challenges: environmental concerns and regional geopolitical issues. It is recommended that Chinese enterprises not only focus on the exploration and development of upstream mining projects, but also consider investments in the downstream and midstream industries for minerals like lithium and copper, and seize the investment opportunity of participating in Serbia's development as a manufacturing hub for the entire new energy industry chain within Europe.