Together with Clara Volintiru and Ivan Nikolovski, I co-authored a policy paper on the influence of China in Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. We show that while we agree that China wants to increase its economic and political influence in the region, there is a significant difference between the story we hear and the facts we see. Despite China’s efforts to leverage vulnerabilities in the region, its political influence seems to be still relatively low. Economic influence by itself cannot match Western economic ties either. Political engagement with China is shaped mostly by domestic factors and geopolitical considerations, particularly those related to security.
The paper was written for the GlobalFocus Center in Bucharest and has been financially supported by the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation and the Open Information Partnership.