Security Aspect in China-Serbia Relations: Digital and Military Cooperation

Sino-Serbian partnership has been on an increase ever since China and Serbia signed a Strategic Settlement in 2009 that set a basis for future bilateral cooperation between the 2 nations. This era was essential for Serbia in figuring out its overseas coverage priorities and companions. China got here as a handy ally in occasions of world financial disaster that additionally severely disturbed the Serbian market and the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, which prompted Serbian authorities to hunt companions and help exterior the Western political sphere. Concurrently, China was more and more interested by increasing its community of financial and political ties with European nations. Serbia, as a gateway nation to the EU market, developed into an necessary and integral a part of broader Chinese language overseas coverage that turned extra proactive and outward-looking. 

In 2013, the Joint Assertion signed by the then Serbian president Tomislav Nikolić and his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping solely deepened Sino-Serbian strategic relations. Throughout that interval, China began selling its formidable Belt and Street initiative and sought extra complete cooperation with nations to hitch this grand challenge. Furthermore, China launched a 16+ initiative (initially it was named 14+1, and from 2019 to 2021: 17+1) so as to enhance cooperation with Central and Jap European nations (CEEC), together with Serbia that benefited significantly from the challenge. Through the years, China and Serbia have reached quite a few financial and political agreements which have concerned many areas apart from infrastructure and transportation, incorporating tradition, media, educational analysis and safety realms into elevated bilateral collaboration.

Safety side within the Sino-Serbian relationship represents one of the controversial and peculiar elements of this atypical partnership that has reached a traditionally unprecedented excessive degree. Not too long ago the cooperation between China and Serbia has not solely deepened inside the already established areas of collaboration however has additionally prolonged to the safety discipline. Sino-Serbian safety relations revolve round navy cooperation, public safety and police cooperation. The introduction of Chinese language surveillance (face recognition) applied sciences and joint police patrols in Serbian cities in addition to intensified navy cooperation mirrored within the entry of Chinese language arms into Serbian protection market and efficiency of joint navy workouts have solely confirmed that the 2 nations have been severely investing of their safety relationship.

China’s pursuits in increasing relations within the safety realm with Serbia are twofold. Initially, China is interested by getting into the European protection market and to check its means to behave as a brand new safety actor in Europe. Secondly, China desires to guard its investments and tasks inside the Belt and Street initiative which might be current in Serbia and the broader area of the Western Balkans. Serbia can also be interested by strengthening safety relations with China as such cooperation brings more practical and laxed political and financial agreements.  Sino-Serbian navy partnership is helpful to Serbia because of its potential to replace its outdated protection techniques. Moreover, Chinese language safety investments contribute to Serbia`s balancing overseas coverage between West and East, which permits the nation to capitalize on the geopolitical rivalry among the many nice powers.

Public Safety and Police Cooperation

Sino-Serbian safety collaboration has formally began with the signing of the MoU on Strengthening the Improvement of Info Silk Street for Info Connectivity in 2017 together with the “Good Metropolis” challenge that promotes digitalization and public security by the implementation of a surveillance cameras system outfitted with AI facial recognition software program. In 2019, the challenge was publicly introduced and the set up of the community of surveillance cameras continued throughout the capital metropolis of Serbia, Belgrade. Though the Good Metropolis challenge, in its essence, promotes public security of residents and struggle in opposition to crime and terrorism through digital options, there’s concern that Serbian authorities would possibly misuse such potential to extend authorities management and introduce extra authoritarian-oriented strategies of surveillance.

Along with surveillance infrastructure, China and Serbia have deepened safety ties by organizing  joint police patrols in Serbian cities since 2019. The reasoning behind such a safety settlement lies in the truth that Serbia has been experiencing a rising variety of Chinese language vacationers and staff. The necessity for serving to Serbian cops in communication with Chinese language nationals and Serbia’s establishments has risen, particularly on a neighborhood degree i.e. in cities the place the Chinese language capital is concentrated and locations standard amongst Chinese language vacationers. Nevertheless, some stories counsel that China’s abroad “police stations” would possibly act as an prolonged hand of Chinese language surveillance used to manage its personal residents in different nations.

Navy Cooperation

Sino-Serbian navy collaboration stays one of the outstanding parts of the rising safety partnership between China and Serbia that not solely attracts consideration but in addition raises considerations amongst regional and overseas powers. Again in 2019, Chinese language and Serbian particular police forces performed a joint counterterrorism train at a Chinese language-owned metal manufacturing unit within the Serbian metropolis of Smederevo. This was the primary Chinese language joint train in Europe. Whereas Western powers are reluctant to cooperate with China within the navy space, Serbia appears greater than to deepen safety and navy ties with China. Furthermore, China perceives Serbia as an necessary entrance level for its wider safety technique that goals at enhancing safety relations with European nations.

China has turn out to be Serbia`s main navy associate within the East, toppling Russia`s lengthy dominance within the Serbian protection market. The latest Free Commerce Settlement in 2023 moreover enhanced Sino-Serbian navy partnership offering a rising low cost for buying Chinese language varied defense-related merchandise over the 15-year interval. This settlement has additionally elevated criticism and considerations amongst Western powers.

Each the EU and the US have expressed considerations over the strengthened Sino-Serbian navy partnership as such collaboration can hinder additional democratic and European path of Serbia and create regional insecurities. Despite the fact that Serbia’s navy build-up with Chinese language arms has intensified anxiousness among the many nation`s neighboring states, a battle  initiated by Serbia within the area is much less possible within the foreseeable future, particularly as the primary goal of the arms take care of China is to modernize Serbian protection techniques and in a symbolic means deter potential attackers.

Way forward for Sino-Serbian Safety Relations

As financial and political ties will proceed to broaden between China and Serbia, the safety side of such a relationship is anticipated to develop as effectively. Each China and Serbia have proven an elevated curiosity in deepening additional their safety collaboration particularly because of mutual advantages that come up from it. Strengthened Sino-Serbian safety cooperation is consistent with the overseas coverage priorities and methods of each nations. Frequent high-level exchanges in addition to quite a few agreements performed between China and Serbia solely affirm that the 2 nations are decided to proceed pursuing a proactive bilateral relationship and the safety side will proceed to be an integral a part of such a partnership.

[Photo by the Government of the Republic of Serbia]

The views and opinions expressed on this article are these of the writer.

Nina Miholjcic-Ivkovic is a researcher on the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Serbia.