What are Russia’s and China’s strategies and ambitions in South-East Europe?

A rising China and resurgent Russia have become two unavoidable benchmarks of international politics. The Balkans are not isolated from these trends as both Russia and China are present in the region. Russian foreign policy in the Balkans mostly revolves around soft power, energy, and unresolved Kosovo dispute. Unlike Russia, which is a historical great power in the region, China is a newcomer that in the past ten years has expanded its regional clout thanks to its global macro-project Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

Our panellists will discuss what factors drive Russia and Chinese policies in the region, what are the strategic implications and what impact do these two countries have on the state of governance, economic development, and environmental standards.

Dimitar Bechev is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna. He is an Adjunct Professor in European Studies and International Relations at the University of Sofia.

Tena Prelec is a Research Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), University of Oxford, and a Research Associate at LSEE-Research on South Eastern Europe, LSE.

Vuk Vuksanovic is a PhD researcher in International Relations at LSE and an associate of LSE IDEAS.

Megan Palmer manages LSE IDEAS' Central and South-East Europe Programme.

20:20 Visions: conversations on the future of democracy is a series of online discussions on current challenges to democracy faced by Central and Eastern Europe, hosted by LSE IDEAS and the Ratiu Forum.

LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. We connect academic knowledge of diplomacy and strategy with the people who use it.