ELIAMEP’s South-East Europe Programme, along with ESTIMA (North Macedonia) and Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (Kosovo) co-organised an online panel discussion on China’s role in Kosovo’s path to its international recognition.
Following its economic ascent, PR China has become one of the most influential global players and started to show increasing interest in several issues, including Kosovo. The motivation behind PR China’s opposition to Kosovo’s recognition is driven by its own domestic issues, especially Taiwan, as well as its comprehensive strategic partnership with Serbia. While Russia’s concrete support to Serbia on the Kosovo issue has been largely acknowledged and discussed, especially during the intensive derecognition campaign in the period 2017-2019, the nuances in China’s position and its specific activities in relation to Kosovo have been left outside the public debate. As the war in Ukraine is likely to bring about tectonic changes in the regional and global political landscape, Kosovo needs to anticipate and be prepared for potential implications, especially stemming from China’s global ambitions and calculations.
Speakers:
Ioannis Armakolas, Senior Research Fellow & Head, South-East Europe Programme, ELIAMEP; Assistant Professor, Department of Balkan, Slavic & Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki
Ana Krstinovska, President, ESTIMA, North Macedonia
Leon Malazogu, Former Kosovo Ambassador to Japan, Kosovo
Vuk Vuksanovic, Senior Research Fellow, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy , Serbia
Moderator: Jeta Krasniqi, Foreign Policy Expert
More information is available here.
