A wider diplomatic conflict could unfold from Zvecan, a small town in northern Kosovo, just a short distance from the Serbian border, inevitably involving China. The situation has escalated with the inauguration of ethnic Albanian mayors in the Serb-dominated region of northern Kosovo following the Serb-boycotted elections. On May 29, more than 30 soldiers of KFOR, the NATO-led international military force deployed in defense of three municipalities in the north of the country, were wounded in fierce clashes with Serb demonstrators. Among them are 14 Italians from L’Aquila’s 9th Alpini Regiment. Three were seriously injured: burns and fractures from Molotov cocktails. I have no life threatening.
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The situation is causing concern, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has scheduled a meeting for May 30 alongside all the ambassadors of Quintet, a group made up of the US, Italy, France, Germany and the UK. The EU president is in Pristina. Separate meetings are also planned with representatives of Finland, Russia and China. Much attention is drawn from the Great Wall of China to the developments in Kosovo and the escalation of tensions between NATO soldiers and Serbian demonstrators. Mao Ning, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated that China stands by Serbia to “protect its territorial sovereignty and integrity”, adding that the Asian giant “respects NATO to respect the sovereignty and integrity of the territories of the countries concerned and to do things that de facto support regional peace”.
diplomatic strife
Why is Beijing taking this stance? China and Kosovo do not have official diplomatic relations (and Russia does the same), as the Asian giant does not recognize the government of Pristina. Let’s take a step back. Having declared its independence in 2008 after the 1998-99 war, Kosovo was never recognized by Serbia, which has always had the support of Russia and China. Before the referendum that led to the formation of the government in Pristina, Beijing had a geopolitical interest in Kosovo.
But something changed in 1999, when the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was bombed by US forces during the Kosovo War. A wound that is still open for China and has marked relations between Beijing and Washington. The United States has always claimed that the bombing was accidental and that five sniper bombs dropped by a US B-2 stealth bomber were sent to a nearby Yugoslav industrial facility. But China has never accepted this justification and has always argued that the bombing was deliberate, which led to the deaths of three Chinese citizens and widespread anti-American protests in China.
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Currently, China’s official stance is that it respects Serbia’s territorial integrity, and Chinese state media still describes Kosovo as an “autonomous province” under Serbian rule. according to the analysis German Law JournalChina’s declaration is linked to China’s well-known foreign policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and above all to China’s interests in separatist movements in Tibet, Xinjiang and Taiwan. All that’s left for Pristina is to walk the tightrope between Beijing and Taipei. Although the Taiwanese government recognized Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008, Pristina was reluctant to enter into informal diplomatic relations with the island’s government, as was the case with the Chinese state.
The friendship of steel between Belgrade and Beijing
Unlike Russia, which has several times actively supported Serbia to pressure third countries to withdraw recognition of Kosovo, China has avoided going directly into the issue. An agreement signed on August 23, 2009 between the then-presidents of the two countries, Boris Tadic and Hu Jintao, was enough for Beijing, which started an economic, technological and infrastructural cooperation and then strengthened in 2013. In victorious and positive tones, cooperation and political leaders speak of “sisterhood of steel” and “friendship of steel” as a reference to China’s 2016 purchase of a Serbian steel mill.
China has tried to present itself as a strategic investor, not meddling in domestic political affairs and willing to turn a blind eye to some issues such as state aid, corruption or labor laws. The Asian giant thus won the sympathy of Serbian political leaders by borrowing loans from Chinese banks to finance infrastructure projects in the Western Balkan country.
In fact, Serbia is increasingly appearing as a central hub in the Balkans of the Chinese New Silk Road, both at the infrastructural and political level. Thanks to its geographical location, the country is China’s main entry point into the European market, where Chinese companies can sell their products and generate large revenues. The numbers give an idea of the amount of Chinese investment in the Western Balkan country. According to this Balkan Investigative Journalism Network (BIRN), Chinese investments in Serbia reached 10.3 billion euros in the period 2009-2021. However, despite the influx of Chinese capital, the EU remains the main economic partner with 70% of total foreign direct investment and 81% of exports (Serbia still waiting to join the EU in 2012).
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Among the many projects Beijing has undertaken in Serbia are the modernization of the Belgrade-Budapest railway, which could connect the Greek port of Piraeus to central and western Europe; There is also the construction of the E-763 highway, which will connect Belgrade with Montenegro. But the friendship of steel was born with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Serbia in 2016, which led to the Chinese Hesteel’s takeover of the Smederevo steelworks, a few kilometers from Belgrade. Smederevo’s story describes the shift in Belgrade’s diplomatic relations with the two world superpowers: The company, which was bought by American US Steel for $23 million in 2003, was sold to the Serbian government in 2012 for a symbolic price of one dollar. Customized from the Chinese giant.
for the think tank CepaBased in the United States, the short-term economic benefits of Chinese capital flows are indisputable, but the potential long-term consequences cannot be ignored. Chinese investments in Serbia have mostly been in export-oriented industries, meaning that most of the profits go to Chinese companies and therefore Serbia’s revenue is limited. From 2005 to 2016, trade tripled to nearly $1.6 billion (1.5 billion euros), although the Asian giant exported $1 billion in goods, while Serbia remained at $1 million.
Sending planes and missiles to Serbia
Chinese tentacles are also spreading throughout the military. A few weeks after the start of the war in Ukraine, China supplied Serbia with regular military supplies, a shipment of HQ-22 surface-to-air missiles. The weapons arrived at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla airport on April 10, 2022, with six Y-20 cargo planes belonging to the People’s Liberation Army flying over two NATO countries, Turkey and Bulgaria.
The delivery of Chinese war devices similar to the US Patriot missiles is a confirmation of how hard Beijing is working to defend its role in the military logistics transport sector. But above all, he reiterates how hard China has worked to distance Serbia from Russian and European influence and to support Serbia’s claim to Kosovo territory.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
