China : A new geo-economic approach to the Balkans

After three and a half decades of reforms today China is the main engine of the global economy, pursuing a pro-active foreign policy and increasing linkages with countries around the world – including the ones in the Western Balkans. The new linkages between China and the region are linked to China’s quest for new economic opportunities in the post-crisis era. Since 2009, the interaction between Beijing and the Western Balkan countries (all except Kosovo which China does not recognize) has grown dramatically. The new Sino-Balkan linkages serve as mediums that (re)shape the context of the countries involved. Building on the existing literature in the field, but also on a number of interactions with Chinese, Western Balkan, CESEE and EU representatives in the period 2013–2018, this chapter analyzes the role of the Western Balkans in China’s global vision, overviews key policies and the outcomes and challenges that stem from them, and concludes with a discussion on the potential impact of China’s linkages with the Western Balkans for the region’s European future.