This strategic update from Sotirov Visiting Fellow Dr Ivan Lidarev analyses the competition between China and the US in the Balkans, striving to answer three broad research questions about its impact on the region. The paper analyses how the China-US competition has shaped the strategic framework in which Balkan states operate; how Balkan nations have responded strategically to this competition; and what the long-term implications of the regional US-China competition are. 

Read the online edition:

China-US competition in the Balkans

Download the PDF:

 China-US competition in the Balkans

About the author

Dr Ivan Lidarev is the 2023/24 Mladena and Dianko Sotirov Visiting Fellow at LSE IDEAS, recently completing his PhD in International Relations and Political Science at King’s College London. Dr Lidarev received his MA in International Affairs, with a concentration in Asia, from the Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA), George Washington University and BA in History, Asian Studies and Global and International Studies from Bard College. He boasts a rich think tank experience and between 2014 and 2017, served as advisor at Bulgaria’s National Assembly.