THE PLACE OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA IN THE GEOPOLITICAL INTERESTS OF CHINA AFTER THE RENAMING PERIOD

Abstract

The political and economic situation in the Republic of Nort Macedonia and the declarative commitments of the EU for the European future of the country, are a serious geopolitical challenge for the EU and an opportunity for the penetration of China's interests in the region. In fact, China's strategy is present in all Western Balkan countries and we can perceive it primarily through the One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR) or known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the 17+1 cooperation platform as a framework, for the implementation of Chinese projects.The above two serious projects contribute and have contributed to the change in the perception of China's foreign policy capacity. The Covid pandemic has only further strengthened China's influence globally, in the context of the global struggle for dominance in the production of vaccines against Covid 19. This paper aims to show how North Macedonia, as a small country, is positioned within the geostrategic interests of China expressed through the initiative known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the 17+1 cooperation platform, but also in the context of the current Covid situation.