| Author (Person) | Tonchev, Plamen |
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| Publisher | European Union Institute for Security Studies (EU ISS) |
| Series Title | EUISS Brief |
| Series Details | No.3, February 2017 |
| Publication Date | 15/02/2017 |
| Content Type | Journal | Series | Blog |
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Four years after Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the ‘New Silk Road’ initiative in 2013, the main thrust of the infrastructure projects has been in Asia. However, the Western Balkans is also becoming increasingly involved in related discussions and projects on its western end. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), previously referred to as the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, is seen by many as an ambitious game-changing plan devised by China to project its increasing economic and political power worldwide – even if in geographical terms it covers ‘only’ Eurasia and eastern Africa. For the time being, four years after President Xi Jinping announced the initiative in 2013, the main thrust of the BRI has been in Asia. However, eastern European countries, including the Western Balkans, are also becoming increasingly involved in related discussions and projects on its western end. China's Road: into Eastern Europe Given their geographical location at the crossroads of Eurasian routes, eastern Europe and the Caucasus are expecting to benefit from substantial infrastructure investments and new commercial opportunities. For the EU, China’s endeavour to establish new economic corridors in the region covered by the block’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) policy, poses both opportunities and challenges. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://publications.europa.eu/s/c6sm |
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| Countries / Regions | Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Eastern Europe, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Southeastern Europe |
