Work to replace the Sava Bridge in Serbia has already begun, but the government's reluctance to fully disclose agreements with Chinese companies involved in the construction is fueling opposition to the project and raising doubts about the transparency of how contracts were awarded.

China State Construction Engineering (CSEC), one of two Chinese state-owned companies involved in the project, announced that the installation of steel structures on the new 420-meter bridge in the heart of the capital, Belgrade, began on December 5.

PowerChina, a giant state-owned conglomerate and one of the world's largest engineering, procurement and construction companies, is the main contractor.

It participated in the demolition of the old Sava Bridge in July and is building the new bridge worth 94.1 million euros, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

But the lack of public tendering procedures for contracts, which could have an impact on the overall cost and quality of the project, has raised major questions about transparency.

This is a particularly controversial issue in Serbia, following the roof collapse at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which killed 16 people.

The incident sparked mass protests and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević in January. Protesters blamed corruption and poor workmanship for the collapse.

Several contractors, including Chinese companies, participated in the reconstruction of the railway station. Serbian authorities insisted that the Chinese consortium China Railway International Company (CRIC) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) were not at fault, and both companies stated that the concrete roof of the station was not part of the reconstruction work they carried out.

An investigation into the incident was subsequently opened, and the prosecution accused several Serbian officials of having "materially benefited" from at least $18.7 million from the Chinese consortium that is building a railway project.

Transparency International's program director, Nemanja Nenadić, told Radio Free Europe that exceptions and legal loopholes in Serbia have effectively created a "shortcut to awarding jobs without competition."

“We can generally assume that the price is higher than it would be in a public tender, because the company that wins the job has no incentive to offer better conditions when it knows there is no competition,” said Nenadić, a lawyer with experience in the fight against corruption.

"They said it's all secret"

The Old Sava Bridge was built in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of Serbia and was saved despite the retreating Germans mining it before leaving the city. Since then, the bridge has become a landmark and symbol of Belgrade.

In May, the city of Belgrade said the bridge needed to be replaced due to “a number of structural and safety risks” and because it did not meet “the existing and growing traffic needs of the city of Belgrade.”

The new, larger bridge would be able to handle more traffic and provide better connections to other new projects, the city said.

But doubts about transparency and construction have surrounded the project since the idea to demolish the old bridge gained momentum in 2017, and the contract with PowerChina was signed in 2020.

The Serbian government has bypassed the public procurement process for the new Sava bridge, citing an intergovernmental agreement between China and Serbia signed in 2009, which allows for direct public contracting and increased cooperation in infrastructure construction.

The Constitution of Serbia states that international agreements are part of the legal system and domestic laws cannot conflict with international contracts.

Concerns regarding procurement are heightened by the fact that the full project documentation has never been made public.

Neither the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure nor the City of Belgrade responded to REL's questions about the construction of the bridge.

CSEC and PowerChina did not respond to REL's requests for comment on the procurement procedure or their involvement in the project.

Rastko Naumov from the activist group Belgrade Remains, which organized protests against the decision to demolish the old Sava Bridge, told REL that he believes important details of the project are being hidden from the public.

He said he approached the Belgrade Directorate of Land and Construction in January to submit official requests for the publication of contracts on the demolition of the old bridge and the construction of the new bridge, but his request was rejected.

"They refused to hand over the contracts. They said they were all secret," said Naumov, a lawyer and activist.

Naumov shared with REL the requests he had submitted and the rejection letter from the authorities.

The letter said he was denied access to the contracts because they constitute "business secrets" and PowerChina has stated that publishing them would reveal trade secrets.

The Directorate of Building Land and Construction did not respond to REL's request for comment.

A model of hidden contracts

Beijing enjoys close relations with Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vučić, and has steadily deepened ties with Belgrade over the past two decades.

Relations have expanded across many sectors, from trade and defense to technology and education, with billions of dollars of Chinese investment flowing into the country under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and bilateral agreements.

The construction of the new bridge over the Sava River is just one of many major projects in Serbia that have raised doubts about transparency.

PowerChina is also a key contractor in the construction of the giant complex in Belgrade for Expo 2027, as well as exhibition halls, a national football stadium and related infrastructure such as metro lines, a new highway and a ring road around the Serbian capital.

These contracts were also able to circumvent Serbian public procurement law, which regulates which companies can be licensed to work on state projects and ensures competition and transparency.

Concerns about transparency were also raised in the European Commission's report on Serbia this year, while assessing its status as a candidate country for membership in the European Union.

The report warned that intergovernmental agreements like the one signed with China - and others like it - are destroying the checks and balances over major projects in the country.

"This leads to a risk of corruption and non-compliance with European standards," the report says.

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