BELGRADE -- Construction has begun to replace Serbia's iconic Sava Bridge, but the government's refusal to fully disclose its agreements with the Chinese companies involved is fueling opposition to the project and raising transparency questions over how the contracts were awarded.

China State Construction Engineering (CSEC), one of the two Chinese state-owned firms participating in the undertaking, announcedthat the installation of the steel structureson the new 420-meter bridge in the heart of the capital, Belgrade, began on December 5.

PowerChina, a massive state-owned Chinese conglomerate and one of the world's largest engineering, procurement, and construction firms, is the main contractor. It was involved in tearing down the old Sava Bridge in July and is building the new 94.1 million euro ($109 million) bridge, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.

But the absence of any public bidding for the contracts, which could have implications for the project's overall cost and quality, has raised transparency questions.

That's a particularly controversial issue in Serbia since the canopy of a railway station in the city of Novi Sad collapsed in November 2024 and killed 16 people. The incident sparked massive protests and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic in January. Demonstrators blamed corruption and poor construction for the collapse.

Several contractors, including Chinese companies, were involved in reconstructing the railway station. Serbian authorities insisted the Chinese consortium of China Railway International Company (CRIC) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), two Chinese contractors, were not to blame and both firms stated the station's concrete canopy was not part of the reconstruction work they carried out.

An investigation into the incident was eventually launched, with the prosecution accusing some Serbian officials of having "obtained material benefits" worth at least $18.7 million from the Chinese consortium, which is building a high-speed railway project.

Transparency International program director Nemanja Nenadic told RFE/RL that carveouts and loopholes in Serbia have effectively created a "shortcut for contracting 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 motive to give better conditions when it knows that there is no competition," said Nenadic, a veteran anti-corruption lawyer.

The old Sava Bridge was built in 1942 while Serbia was under Nazi occupation and managed to be saved after the retreating Germans mined it as they left the city. It's since become a key landmark and symbol of Belgrade.