The Western Balkans have become a battleground for competing visions of the global order. While the European Union demands a rules-based approach through accession negotiations, China promotes infrastructure projects, direct investments and trade as its preferred way to modernity within the framework of the Global Development Initiative. This oversimplified view portrays the Western Balkans as passive recipients of external influences. Countries in the region have agency. They engage in hedging and adopt opportunistic behaviour, driven by a rational-instrumental logic. Even this perspective runs the risk of oversimplification. Drawing on literature about institutions as networks and examining Serbia as a case study, this article argues that Serbia’s engagement with both powers contributes to the reshaping of regional and global orders. The incentives offered by Brussels and Beijing are not mutually exclusive; governments may simply have different timeframes for their objectives, or different reputational risks and opportunities. We may even see a relative convergence of the EU’s and China’s narratives in the region, combining the rule of law with effective development. This article looks beyond hedging as a standard perspective on Serbia’s foreign policy and sheds light on complex interactions between Belgrade and these two external powers.
Giuseppe Gabusi (T.wai & University of Turin) is the author of the article “The Western Balkans beyond Hedging: A Reading of Serbia between the European Union and China” on Southeastern Europe.
