politics

March 19, 2026

"Smile of Vojvodina" Was Supposed to Be Built by a Chinese Company, But Azvirt Appeared: Have the Chinese Been Replaced and Why

The Azerbaijani company Azvirt will be the contractor for several sections of the "Smile of Vojvodina" expressway.

"Smile of Vojvodina" Was Supposed to Be Built by a Chinese Company, But Azvirt Appeared: Have the Chinese Been Replaced and Why

TL;DR

  • Azerbaijani company Azvirt will construct several sections of the "Smile of Vojvodina" expressway.
  • A commercial contract was signed for the design and execution of works on the Bački Breg-Sombor-Kula-Vrbas-Srbobran segment.
  • This expressway is officially named the Bački Breg-Sombor-Kula-Vrbas-Srbobran-Bečej-Kikinda- Srpska Crnja border crossing.
  • Previously, the Chinese firm "China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp" was presented as the main contractor.
  • The project was to be financed by Serbia's budget and a loan from the Chinese EXIM bank, with an estimated total investment of 1.75 billion euros.
  • Azvirt will work on five sections totaling 94.2 kilometers of the 185.5-kilometer expressway.
  • The first section, from Bački Breg to Sombor (nearly 23 km), will cost 240 million euros and is expected to be completed in two years.
  • Forbes Srbija sought clarification from the Ministry and the Chinese company regarding the change in contractors but received no response by the time of publication.

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