This book analyses infrastructure projects in the Balkan region, examining Chinese penetration in the area, the political and economic dimensions of these projects, and the controversy associated with them. It utilizes the highway project in Montenegro as a case study alongside key Chinese regional initiatives such as 16(17) +1 and Belt and Road. The author scrutinizes the relationship between a small state undergoing political transition and a remote superpower, delving into the dynamics of an interaction which enabled the superpower to establish a significant presence in the region and examines issues around the democratization processes in the area and the growing engagement with China.

Furthermore, the study examines whether China is exporting its economic model and promoting an autocratic style of governance in the region, and how it positions itself vis-à-vis Europe’s normative power. By addressing these research gaps, it makes a valuable contribution to the existing literature on Sino/Balkan/Central and Eastern European relations and will be of interest to academics and researchers of international relations, development, IPE, Chinese studies, and Balkan studies. Policymakers, government officials, diplomats, and those involved in foreign affairs will also find the book invaluable.

Mladen Grgić is a Teaching Assistant at the University of Montenegro, Faculty of Political Science. He holds a PhD in International Political Economy from Pompeu Fabra University, Faculty of Law, in Barcelona, and previously earned master’s degrees from the University of Bologna and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.

He has served as an Economic Affairs and Economic Diplomacy Advisor to the President of Montenegro and as Director of the Montenegrin Investment Agency, as well as in other executive roles within the private sector. As a Fulbright researcher, he studied Chinese foreign policy and economy at the University of California, Berkeley. As a recipient of the Chinese Government Scholarship, he conducted research at Xiamen University in China, focusing on international relations and development models in Asia. He was also awarded a state scholarship from the Italian Government for his master’s studies.