Belgrade is vital to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. But as China takes over old industrial sites, Serbian citizens are suffering the environmental consequences.

China Has Its Eyes on Serbia

Beijing is using the coronavirus pandemic to expand its influence into the EU’s backyard.

The Sino-Serbian partnership has blossomed in recent years — according to the National Bank of Serbia, Chinese investments in Serbia have grown to more than $2 billion (€1.8 billion) in the past ten years while publicly available data show Chinese infrastructural loans in Serbia exceed $8 billion.

While I was working in the Serbian Foreigna Ministry in late 2012, a delegation of researchers from a Western think tank came to interview the Serbian diplomats about their perception of regional security. A question was asked about the Chinese role in the region.