Decade of patience: How China became a power in the Western Balkans

Vladimir Shopov, ECFR |

Image by moerschy from Pixabay

China has become the most prominent third actor in the Western Balkans. The country’s activities are spread unevenly across the region, but they follow a common approach that is marked by China’s wide-ranging efforts to establish itself in key economic areas and to gradually position itself as an indispensable actor. As European and US ambivalence towards the Western Balkans persists, the region will be in increasing danger of falling into an endless spiral of competition between various foreign actors.

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