The topic of Radio Free Europe’s “Bridge” was why China needs Serbia. The interlocutors were Vuk Vuksanović, a lecturer in foreign policy and grand strategy at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, and Igor Novaković, Research Director at the Center for International and Security Affairs (ISAC) in Belgrade.
The discussion addressed whether the reception organized for Vučić in Beijing during his recent visit, as well as the highest decoration awarded to him by Xi Jinping, confirm
- that Serbia is the European country which, after Russia, has the closest relations with China,
- what the “shared future” of China and Serbia, promoted during the visit, means, and
- whether, in addition to economic ties, Serbia also has geostrategic importance for China.
They also discussed whether China is interested in Serbia due to similarities in their authoritarian models of governance, whether Serbia’s leadership counts on China, as an emerging great power, to act as its protector, and whether President Vučić, whose position has been significantly shaken over the past year and a half by protests, sees a lifeline in strong support from Beijing and in major Chinese investments announced during his visit, as well as whether China would continue cooperation with new authorities in Serbia in the event of Vučić’s potential fall.
Read the transcript/listen to the show: