China is among the biggest global importers of all the Western Balkans extractive exports. Extractives and raw materials are indispensable for China due to their crucial role in supporting the country’s manufacturing sector, fueling economic growth, and driving technological advancements across various industries. A new CHOICE policy paper sheds light on China’s role in the extractive and raw materials sector in five countries of the Western Balkans, i.e. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

The study “Win Some, Lose Some”: China’s Involvement in the Extractive and Raw Materials Industries in the Western Balkans, written by Ana Krstinovska and Vuk Vuksanović presents a quantitative overview of the bilateral cooperation in the extractives and an analysis of its impact on the Western Balkans economies and societies, seeking to uncover the drivers behind China’s involvement and examine whether the combination of the Chinese approach and the domestic agency could lead to maximising the benefits for the Western Balkans countries.

Based on these findings, the paper formulates policy recommendations targeting EU and policymakers and civil society of the Western Balkans.