“THE SILENT THREAT” – CHINA’S GEOPOLITICAL “GAME” IN THE BLACK SEA REGION

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53477/2668-5094-21-18

Keywords:

Black Sea region, China, 17 1 format, Belt and Road Initiative, Ukraine, Georgia, Danube estuary, Chinese

Abstract

Since the 2000s, China has become an increasingly visible presence in Europe. In the last 20 years, China has signed an extended strategic partnership with the European Union, developed the 17 + 1 platform, of strategic cooperation with the Eastern European corridor states, invested heavily in the European economy and diversified its soft-power means of action. In this context, the states of the Black Sea region are implicitly targeted by China's interests and actions. How large is China's presence in the Black Sea region? What are the objectives of China's geopolitical game in the Black Sea region? Do they belong to an independent game?
Or are they part of a much more complex strategy, which aims at a major reconfiguration of global spheres of influence?

Author Biography

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alba Iulia Catrinel POPESCU, "Carol I" National Defense University, National Defense College

Alba Iulia Catrinel Popescu is Associate Professor at the National College of Defense Bucharest and "Carol I" National Defense University, Visiting Professor at University of Business and Enterprise in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski - Poland and University of Bucharest, Romania. She is also member of the Romanian Committee of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology of the Romanian Academy, member of the "Ion Conea" Romanian Association for Geopolitics and member of the international advisory board of the Research Institute for European and American Studies, Greece. She already published five books - “What hides behind Boko Haram” (a monographic study about one of the bloodiest terrorist organization), “The Shadow Player” (an extensive and integrate analysis about Sub-Saharan Africa’s pivot zone character), “Geopolitical Kaleidoscope” (a collection of analyses in geopolitics and geostrategy), "Uncomfortable Analysis" (a collection of studies in geopolitics), "Geopolitics and pandemics" (a study regarding the geopolitical impact of the current pandemics), the first two volumes of the "Treaty of Geopolitics" (The Geopolitics of the Maritime Power and The Geopolitics of the Continental Power), other studies in security and demography as well as numerous articles regarding strategic analysis and geopolitics.

References

‘16+1’ mechanism set to bolster China-Europe ties, 10.07.2018,

http://www.china-ceec.org/eng/zdogjhz_1/t1575579.htm.

 2020 data: China is Georgia's top trading partner by exports, 20.01.2021,

https://agenda.ge/en/news/2021/145.

 Akfirat A., China suspends debt payments for 77 poor countries, United

World, 17.06.2020, https://uwidata.com/11850-china-suspends-debtpayments-

for-77-poor-countries/.

 Brînză A., Strategic competitors in search of China: The story of România

and Bulgaria, MEI, 17.06.2020, https://www.mei.edu/publications/strategiccompetitors-

search-china-story-românia-and-bulgaria.

 Bulgarian Head of State: Bulgaria Can Deepen its Strategic Partnership with

Russia în the Field of Energy, 04.03.2019, novinite.com,

https://www.novinite.com/articles/195563/Bulgarian+Head+of+State%3A+

Xue Qing, How China is losing Europe, The Diplomat, 25.05.2021, https://thediplomat.com/2021/05/howchina-

is-losing-europe/, accessed on 01.05.2021.

Strategies XXI – ACNDC

Bucharest, June 25, 2021

Bulgaria+Can+Deepen+its+Strategic+Partnership+with+Russia+în+the+Fiel

d+of+Energy.

 CANALUL DUNĂRE - SIRET - MAREA NORDULUI, 08.08.2015,

http://politici.weebly.com/transporturi/canalul-dunare-şiret-marea-nordului.

 Charaia V., Lashkhi M., Georgia and China: The Economic Ties that Could

One Day Bind, „A Sea Change?: China’s Role în the Black Sea”, Frontier

Europe Iniţiative, November 2020, https://mei.edu/sites/default/files/2020-

/A%20Sea%20Change%3F-China%27s%20Role%20in%20the%20Black

%20Sea.pdf.

 China Harbor Engineering Company completes dredging in port of

Chornomorsk, 21.06.2019, PortSEurope, https://www.portseurope.com/

china-harbor-engineering-company-completes-dredging-in-port-ofchornomorsk/.

 China, Moldova Kick Off Free Trade Agreement Talks, Yicai Global,

12.2017, https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/china-moldova-kick-offfree-

trade-agreement-talks.

 China, Bulgaria lift ties to strategic partnership, Xinhuanet, 04.07.2019,

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/04/c_138196385.htm.

 China, Turkey to establish strategic cooperative relationship, Xinhua,

10.2010, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-10/08/content_

htm.

 Chinese projects in Ukraine, Kyiv Post, 14.09.2018, https://www.kyiv

post.com/business-focus/chinese-projects-in-ukraine.html;

 Davi E., Moldova’s Unexpected Opening to China, CHOICE, 22.09.2020,

https://chinaobservers.eu/moldovas-unexpected-opening-to-china/.

 Dushanbe Declaration of Heads of SCO Member States, President of Russia,

08.2008, http://www.en.kremlin.ru/supplement/287.

 Economic Watch: Turkey-China commerce moves forward despite pandemic,

Xinhua, 12.05.2021, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-05/12/

c139941399.htm.

 Filipova R, Chinese Influence în Bulgaria: Knocking on a Wide Open Door?,

CHOICE, 08.09.2019, https://chinaobservers.eu/chinese-influence-inbulgaria-

knocking-on-a-wide-open-door/.

 Free Trade Regimes, https://investingeorgia.org/en/georgia/free-traderegimes.

 Gaspers J., Turkey’s SCO Ambitions Challenge EU and United States, GMF,

07.2017, https://www.gmfus.org/blog/2017/07/14/turkeys-sco-ambitionschallenge-

eu-and-united-states.

 Georgia, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Trade, https://www.trade.

gov.tr/free-trade-agreements/georgia.

Kraemer R., Beijing’s military industry on the move în Ukraine, 10.09.2020,

https://www.mei.edu/publications/beijings-military-industry-move-ukraine.

 Legal Basis of Ukraine and China, Embassy of Ukraine în the People’s

Republic of China, 27.10.2020, https://china.mfa.gov.ua/en/partnership/184-

dogovirno-pravova-baza-mizh-ukrajinoju-ta-kitajem.

 Popescu A.I.C., Analize incomode, Editura Militară, Bucureşti, 2020;

 Popescu A.I.C., Geopolitică şi pandemie, Editura Top Form, Bucureşti, 2020;

 Qing X., How China is losing Europe, The Diplomat, 25.05.2021,

https://thediplomat.com/2021/05/how-china-îs-losing-europe/.

 Republica Populară CHINEZĂ, Ministerul Afacerilor Externe,

http://www.mae.ro/bilateral-relations/3121.

 România exports to China, Trading Economics, https://trading

economics.com/românia/exports/china.

 România imports from China, Trading Economics, https://trading

economics.com/românia/imports/china.

 Russia is among top three trade partners of Ukraine in 2020, customs service

says, Tass, 12.01.2021, https://tass.com/economy/1244021.

 Sava R., Reflecții asupra relațiilor româno-chineze la 70 de ani de raporturi

diplomatice: Convorbiri cu Excelența Sa ambasadorul Romulus Ioan Budura,

Editura Universității „Lucian Blaga” din Sibiu, 2020.

 Ukraine, China discuss development of bilateral cooperation, UKRINFORM,

04.2021, https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3228957-ukrainechina-

discuss-development-of-bilateral-cooperation.html.

 Ukrainian Motor Sich to Sell 50% Stake to Turkish Firm, Defense World,

04.2021, https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29352/Ukrainian_Motor_

Sich_to_Sell_50__Stake_to_Turkish_Firm.

 Turkish president concludes China visit, 29.06.2009, http://tr.chinaembassy.

org/eng/ztgx/t572762.htm;

 Weitz R., Turkey and China Establish Strategic Partnership, „The Turkey

Analyst”, vol. 3, no. 18, 25.10.2010, https://www.turkeyanalyst.org/

Downloads

Published

2021-07-15