‘We need to up our game’ against China in Western Balkans, says EU official
- The bloc earmarked a €9 billion (US$10.5 billion) fund for the region increasingly seen as a battleground in the EU’s systemic rivalry with Beijing
- ‘Lately, China has come to dominate the narrative and perception on infrastructure investments,’ says EU official
The latest financial boost by Brussels is aimed in part at countering growing Chinese infrastructure investments in the region, which Brussels said are less than transparent and counterproductive to the goal of these countries to meet good governance standards before they can join the EU in future.
“We need to up our game in terms of the offer,” said Jonathan Hatwell, head of the China division at the EU’s diplomatic arm, the European External Action Service, at a webinar hosted by Dutch think tank Clingendael Institute on Wednesday.
“Lately, China has come to dominate the narrative and perception on infrastructure investments,” he said.
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China’s most-senior diplomats, Wang and Yang, conclude back-to-back visits to Europe
Under the new plan for the region announced on Tuesday, the EU can also provide guarantees of up to €20 billion in the next decade to help reduce the cost of financing for both public and private investments and to reduce the risk for investors, as China has boasted its bank loans available with the Western Balkan countries.