Power Shaping And Competition Between The EU And China In The Western Balkans

The Western Balkans,including Albania,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Montenegro,North Macedonia and Serbia,have become one of the focal points of China and the EU in recent years.With the promotion of China-CEEC Cooperation("17+1" Cooperation)and the Belt and Road Initiative,China and the Western Balkans have gradually deepened economic and trade cooperation.China’s economic impact on the Western Balkans keep increasing.Such influence spills over to the political and diplomatic level.Therefore,there are voices that China is filling the "power vacuum" left by the EU in the Western Balkans,making the EU more cautious China’s strategy on the Western Balkans.However,this article proposes that China does not pose a threat to the EU’s position in the Western Balkans.A large number of facts show that the"Europeanization" process of the Western Balkan countries has not been blocked by China,and the Western Balkan countries are still actively seeking to join the European Union.Through the use of structural power,the European Union shapes the value of the Western Balkan countries and influences its domestic rules.Under the structural diplomacy of the European Union,China lacks the ability to set and implement the agenda of the Western Balkan countries.Therefore,the EU’s use of structural power in the Western Balkans and China’s use of relational powers in the region give the reasons why it is difficult for China to achieve major influence in the Western Balkans from 2013 to 2019.This article will first define the type of EU power in the Western Balkans as structural power,and the type of China’s power in the region as relational power.Next,it is proposed that the actors using relational power do not have the intention to challenge the current structure,and the chances that they are able to challenge the actors using structural power need to meet certain requirements.Then,the article will discuss the actual use of the two types of power by China and Europe through specific cases of power construction in the Western Balkans.Finally,through comparison,it is concluded that China’s use of relational powers in the Western Balkans will not affect the power structure of the European Union,or cause a threat.