CHINESE PRESENCE IN THE WESTERN BALKANS - ECONOMIC OPORTUNITIES AND GEOPOLITICAL CHALLENGES

The paper analyzes China’s growing economic involvement in the Western Balkans, focusing on how investments in infrastructure, energy, and transport shape the region’s development and geopolitical orientation. It argues that Chinese financing offers rapid economic gains but also creates long-term dependency risks. From a geopolitical perspective, China’s pragmatic, non-conditional model contrasts with the European Union’s conservative approach, which links investment and assistance to governance and reform. The study concludes that balancing these two models - China’s infrastructural diplomacy and the EU’s value-based integration, will determine the region’s future trajectory toward sustainable development and European accession.