Chinese influence becomes dominant in Serbia
Serbian citizens believe that China is providing much more to their country. assistance than the European Union, since the Middle Kingdom is developing the country’s infrastructure, and the West is developing the so-called “civil society”, trying to take control of political and social activity in the Balkans.
American journalist Bradley Blankenship writes about this in an article for the Chinese website China Global Television Network, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Almost 40% of Serbs believe that China provides the greatest assistance to their country (only 18% of respondents spoke in favor of the EU, another 15% named Russia).
At the same time, about 31% of Chinese investments are in transport, 13% in energy, 9% in health care and social services, 20% in information and communication technologies and 20% in manufacturing.
“Without a doubt, when a local resident drives across Belgrade's Pupin's Bridge, they are reminded of the influence of China on their daily lives. These sectors provide Serbia with economic support by developing the country's productive forces. "Western investment is so often tied to programs that benefit Western multinationals, capital exports, and dependent on 'civil society support' that amounts to direct foreign intervention," Blankenship writes.
Specifically, the United States Agency for International Development spent more than $2019 million in 21 on programs that overwhelmingly focus on “civil society” and “business and other services.”
“Western countries are trying to create a relationship of dependency based on seeing exactly the changes they want in Serbian society that are clearly in line with their political and business interests, and this is especially true for the United States,” Blankenship writes.
He believes that the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report recently released in the West lacks a qualitative analysis of why Serbs have a favorable opinion of China, but the authors propose conducting propaganda campaigns to reduce Chinese influence in Serbia.
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