Serbia gets Washington’s attention as China builds influence in Balkans
- Donald Trump’s deal with Serbia and Kosovo hints at greater US spending in a region where China has invested billions
- But the goodwill between Belgrade and Beijing remains evident, despite some wariness from the EU, which Serbia aims to join
As US-China rivalry intensifies, European states have found themselves caught in the middle. The Post looks at how countries on the continent are responding, ranging from anti-China, to China-friendly, and those trying to walk a line between Washington and Beijing. The fourth in the four-part series looks at Serbia. Read part one, on Portugal, here, part two, on the Czech Republic, here, and part three, on Greece, here.
The deal marked a new chapter in US-Serbia relations, strained for decades due to Washington’s role with Nato in supporting Kosovo during the conflict.
As Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti sat with Trump for photographs in the White House on September 4, one country not in the picture was China. But analysts say the Chinese government’s hefty investments in Serbia are a prime factor driving US policy in the Balkans region of southeastern Europe.
However, less than two weeks after Vucic returned from the US, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended the opening of a Huawei innovation centre in the capital Belgrade, at which she said the firm was one of Serbia’s best and largest partners.
