Croatia, a Balkan country, is located at an important nexus in terms of China’s Belt-Road Project. Croatia was one of the first Balkan countries to sign a memorandum of understanding with China within the scope of the Belt-Road Project in 2017,[1] and within this framework, relations between the two countries developed rapidly.
Relations gained momentum through the memorandum signed in 2017, and in 2018, a Chinese company won the tender for the Peljesac Bridge, the largest infrastructure project in Croatia.[2] On July 26, 2022, the Pelsejac Bridge was inaugurated. The bridge is 2440 km long. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang stated that the project was a remarkable achievement and cultivated the friendship between Beijing and Zagreb. In addition, the Pelsejac Bridge is also very important in terms of the fact that for the first time a Chinese company won a tender for the project funded by the European Union (EU).[3]
Chinese Ambassador to Croatia Qi Qianjin told the Croatian press that the Pelsejac Bridge is the largest project realized by a Chinese company in Croatia and stated that the bridge ultimately fulfills a dream of connecting the south of Croatia with the rest of the country.[4]
Brussels has provided 357 million euros for the construction of the bridge, and EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira described the opening of the Pelsejac Bridge as “a symbol of European solidarity and financial and political support for Croatia.”[5] Moreover, the Pelsejac Bridge is the largest and most expensive infrastructure project funded by the EU.[6] This situation has shown the importance that Brussels attributes to the project.
As it is understood, the importance of the bridge should not be evaluated only in the context of China-Croatia relations. Because this project is, in a sense, the product of the China-EU partnership. So much so that the EU has undertaken the financing of the Pelsejac Bridge.
The importance of the project for Croatia, as mentioned above, is that it connects the southernmost territories of the country with the northern territories by road. Thus, the north and south of the country, which is divided into two by the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, are connected to each other.
Due to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s non-membership in the EU, anyone trying to travel north from Dubrovnik, located in the southernmost Adriatic, or cross the Peljesac Peninsula to the Croatian mainland had to pass through two border controls.[7] However, with this opening, direct transportation to Croatia has been provided via the Pelsejac Bridge. Thus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has the shortest coastline in the world, has been prevented from accessing the high seas by Croatia. In other words, on the occasion of the bridge, the Croatian lands divided into two by the Neum Corridor, which is the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, were united. Therefore, it can be said that in the long term, this bridge will cause problems between Zagreb and Sarajevo.
For all these reasons, the Pelsejac Bridge is of strategic importance for Zagreb. The fact that China has assumed the leading role in such a project has undoubtedly served to increase its influence in Croatia. Therefore, it can be argued that thanks to this partnership, China-Croatia relations are based on solid foundations and the development trend in bilateral relations will continue. In other words, it can be foreseen that the relations between the parties may evolve into a strategic one. Moreover, considering the assistance it has provided to the project, it can also be argued that China has chosen sides in the face of geopolitical problems in the Balkans. It can be argued that the support of Zagreb by Brussels was decisive in Beijing’s choice.
Consequently, the opening of the Pelsejac Bridge is considered as an important phase for China in the Balkans and in the Belt-Road Project. Moreover, China has played a leading role in an EU-funded project for the first time. Thanks to this project, Beijing and Brussels have come together at a common point. Therefore, the bridge can serve as a model for the future of China-EU cooperation. Certainly, China’s successful completion of the project can also be interpreted as a harbinger that its influence in the Balkans will increase.
[1] Hongfei Gu, “China and Croatia to Further Align Development”, People’s Daily Online, http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/0405/c90000-9564220.html , (Date of Accession: 03.11.2022).
[2] Ibid.
[3] “Chinese-built Peljesac Bridge in Croatia Opens to Traffic, a Symbol of Closer Ties”, Global Times, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202207/1271607.shtml, (Date of Accession: 03.11.2022).
[4] Paul Bradbury, “Chinese Ambassador Qi Qianjin on Pelješac Bridge, Relations, Tourism, Flights”, Total Croatia News, https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/64567-qi-qianjin-chinese-ambassador, (Date of Accession: 03.11.2022).
[5] “EU Cohesion Policy: Commission Welcomes the Inauguration of one of the Biggest EU-Funded Projects in the EU and in Croatia”, European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/newsroom/news/2022/07/26-07-2022-eu-cohesion-policy-commission-welcomes-the-inauguration-of-one-of-the-biggest-eu-funded-projects-in-the-eu-and-in-croatia, (Date of Accession: 03.11.2022).
[6] “Croatia, Peljesac Bridge Open to Traffic”, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa, https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/Areas/Croatia/Croatia-Peljesac-bridge-open-to-traffic-219806, (Date of Accession: 03.11.2022).
[7] Paul Kirby, “Fanfare As Croatia’s Chinese-Built Bridge Finally Opens”, BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62311106, (Date of Accession: 03.11.2022).
