How China’s BRI Is Dumping Dirty Energy Waste In Serbia

Table of Contents

The Observation

The story began in China back in 1978, when Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping decided to open China up to the global capitalist market.
After four decades, Deng’s economic reforms enabled China to become the world’s second-largest economy.
But all that has come at a heavy price in terms of environmental degradation and public health. Today, China is suffering from widespread air, water, and soil pollution.

China is addicted to coal in energy production, still accounting for half of the global consumption of coal.
In 2020 itself, China built three times as many coal power plants as the rest of the world combined.
In 2019, China emitted more greenhouse gases than the entire developed world combined.

One of the motives behind the Chinese Belt and Road project is outsourcing pollution and environmental degradation to poorer, distant countries with a dire need for infrastructure financing and socioeconomic development, whose governments will ignore the environmental risks.

Serbia has been a suitable partner in Chinese Toxic Politics.
1. Critical geography
2. Relatively less developed
3. Amenable Politicians
4. Biased Media

China has invested 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in Serbia between 2010 and 2019.
Chinese infrastructure loans to Serbia are estimated to exceed 7 billion euros.

Quid Pro Quo Relationship:

Serbia perceived the Chinese as a quick and easy source of cash
China was willing to take over old, debt-ridden industrial facilities of Serbia.

The main goal of the Chinese government is to sell the surplus of its coal-related technology and relocate coal-related labor forces abroad.
- In 2010, China modernized the Kostolac coal power plant, augmenting Serbian dependency on coal.
- In 2014, China took over the coal-powered plant Kolubara B in Serbia after the EBRD turned down financing.
- In 2016, after a landmark visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Serbia, China’s Hesteel took over a troubled steel mill in the Serbian city of Smederevo.
- In 2018, China’s Zijin Mining took a 63 percent share in the Bor mine, the country’s only copper mining complex, which was burdened by debt.

Belgrade appears to have embraced Beijing’s “toxic politics” model, favoring economic growth and political legitimacy while ignoring the environmental threats facing the population.
The ultimate responsibility lies with the Serbian government, as China will obviously use the escape route.