Ongoing Belt and Road Initiative Poses Strategic Risks in the Western Balkans
The article analyzes the strategic risks of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the Western Balkans, focusing on the embedding of Chinese technology in critical infrastructure such as electrical grids, telecommunications, and surveillance systems. It highlights concerns over national security and sovereignty, particularly after the discovery of Chinese communication devices in imported products and China's use of surveillance against its Uyghur population. The US Clean Network Initiative and the 2021 Washington Agreement between Serbia and Kosovo explicitly prohibit untrusted 5G vendors, implicitly targeting Chinese companies like Huawei. Telekom Srbija Group, under Western conditional loans, has chosen Ericsson and Nokia over Huawei for 5G rollout, leading to cyberattacks by Russian hackers aligned with China. Despite these tensions, China continues to invest heavily, including €1 billion in new projects, a free trade agreement with Serbia, and Huawei's surveillance camera installations across Serbian cities. Balkan states maintain strategic ambiguity between EU integration and Eastern partnerships.
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