Garcevic Publishes Op-Ed on China and the Balkans
Ambassador Vesko Garcevic, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Frederick S.Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, recently published an Op-Ed on the reaction in the Balkans and European Union to the Chinese advance in Central and Eastern Europe.
Garcevic’s Op-Ed, entitled “China’s Stealthy Advance in Balkans Should Worry EU,” was published on January 11, 2018 in Balkan Insight.
From the text of the Op-Ed:
The region is still unaware of potential risks of dealing with China. Hence, it’s not whether or not to do business with China; the question is how to make yourself able to negotiate a fair deal.
When EU officials, including foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, refer to the Balkans as a new “chessboard where the big power game can be played”, Russia, not China, seems to be on their mind.
But, whether or not they wish to recognize it, China is becoming a powerful player in the strategic chess game in the Balkans.
Beijing’s “One Belt One Road” policy is already affecting the Balkans, and its presence is visible in almost every corner of the region.
During his diplomatic career, Amb. Vesko Garcevic dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He had been a Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as a Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School.