Two-Pager: China and the EU in the Western Balkans

Key Takeaways:

• China engages with the Western Balkans mainly as a financier of infrastructure and investor, aiming to strengthen connectivity with the EU through the Belt and Road Initiative.
• China does not follow a unified regional strategy but builds bilateral relations, with Serbia as its key partner and weaker ties with countries like Kosovo.
• Western Balkan countries value China’s financing and low conditionality, though actual investment levels remain limited and often focus on acquiring existing assets rather than creating new ones.
• While EU and Chinese engagement are not inherently zero-sum, China’s presence can undermine EU-driven reforms by introducing alternative standards and weakening EU conditionality mechanisms.
• The EU should accept China’s role but better manage it by leveraging accession conditionality to ensure that Chinese involvement aligns with EU rules and long-term objectives.