Aleksandar Milic, 44, is the technical director of the Thermal Power Plant (TPP) near the village of Stanari in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- the first such plant built by China in Europe.

Milic has visited China several times, and by working with a team of Chinese technicians in BiH he has developed a soft spot for the Asian country in general -- and, he rushes to add, for the super spicy but "delicious" Sichuan hot pot in particular.

Sichuan is a province in southwestern China, where the Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) is headquartered. The DEC built the TPP, and several members of the project management team hailed from there.

Thanks to the cooperation between the Chinese and Bosnian team members, the Stanari TPP has become a signature project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in BiH. It brings considerable economic and social benefits to the area, takes into account the plant's ecological and environmental impact, and ushers the area of Stanari among BiH's regions with the highest per capita income.

Over the years, Milic's love for China has grown more and more extensive by spending time with the Chinese team.

"Aleksandar is our best friend, our good buddy," Hu said. "Apart from being addicted to the hot pot, he often checks Chinese e-commerce websites and is impressed by China's speed of development and the high quality of its industrial and civilian products."

Milic has visited China several times, and the more he saw the more passionate about the country he became.

He even sent a photo to Xinhua, which was taken in a hot pot restaurant in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. It shows a smiling Milic raising his glass with a Sichuan hot pot steaming in the foreground.