China Stands Firm in Europe's Backyard: The £358 Million Bridge That Changed European Geopolitics

China Stands Firm in Europe’s Backyard: The £358 Million Bridge That Changed European Geopolitics

Written by Carla Teles

Published on 15/02/2025 at 13:35

A China ganhou mais visibilidade e influência nos Bálcãs, mesmo com o dinheiro vindo da União Europeia. Isso acendeu um alerta em Bruxelas, que teme perder espaço para Pequim dentro do próprio continente.

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With £ 358 million Invested, the Pelješac Bridge Connected Croatia and Eliminated Borders, but It Was China, Not the European Union, That Took the Credit. This Megaproject Reveals How Beijing Is Expanding Its Influence in the Balkans and Challenging European Hegemony in Its Own Backyard.

In the stunning landscape of southern Croatia, an imposing bridge rises over turquoise waters, connecting lands that have been separated for centuries. But the Pelješac Bridge is not just an extraordinary feat of engineering; it also symbolizes a shift in the European geopolitical landscape. Built by a Chinese state-owned company with funding from the European Union, its inauguration in 2022 sparked a debate about China’s growing influence in the Balkans. After all, while the money came from the EU, the credit for the work largely went to Beijing.

The Pelješac Bridge, a Landmark of Engineering and Geopolitics

The Pelješac Bridge, with its impressive 2.4 kilometers in length, solves a long-standing logistical problem for Croatia. Before its construction, access to the south of the country, including the popular tourist destination of Dubrovnik, required crossing a short stretch of Bosnian territory, with border controls that delayed goods and travelers. Now, the bridge provides a direct route, eliminating barriers and boosting the regional economy.

The project was funded with € 420 million (£ 358 million) from the European Union, but its execution was entrusted to the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a Chinese state construction giant. This detail did not go unnoticed. BBC journalist Katya Adler described the bridge as a landmark of China’s growing presence in the Balkans, raising the question: Is Europe losing influence in its own backyard?

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The Balkans and China’s Strategy

The Pelješac Bridge, with 2.4 km in length, connects southern Croatia without the need to go through Bosnia. Built by a Chinese company with EU funding, it improved transportation and sparked a geopolitical debate.

The Balkans have been a key point in China’s strategy for economic expansion. From highways to railways and power plants, Beijing has invested billions to consolidate its presence. The region, historically regarded as a “forgotten frontier” of Europe, has become a central piece in China’s long-term plans to increase its commercial and diplomatic influence.

Chinese involvement divides opinions in Europe. For some, projects like the Pelješac Bridge represent welcome investment and infrastructure modernization opportunities. For others, they raise alarms about growing dependence on Chinese funding and technology, which could compromise European autonomy in strategic sectors.

Brussels, for its part, walks a fine line. On one hand, it wants to boost development in the Balkans to ensure stability in the region; on the other, it fears that Beijing’s influence may grow to the point of diluting European control over its own economies.

Economic and Strategic Impacts of the Bridge

According to Express Co, the opening of the Pelješac Bridge has already transformed the Croatian economy. Tourism companies, hotels, and restaurants have seen an increase in visitor flow, now that Dubrovnik has become more accessible. Agricultural products from the Pelješac Peninsula, famous for its vineyards and seafood, now reach markets in Croatia and beyond more quickly.

The bridge has also boosted the real estate sector of the peninsula, making it more attractive to investors and residents, as well as making life easier for workers who previously faced long commutes.

China Stands Firm in Europe’s Backyard: The £358 Million Bridge That Changed European Geopolitics

With £ 358 million Invested, the Pelješac Bridge Connected Croatia and Eliminated Borders, but It Was China, Not the European Union, That Took the Credit. This Megaproject Reveals How Beijing Is Expanding Its Influence in the Balkans and Challenging European Hegemony in Its Own Backyard.

The Pelješac Bridge, a Landmark of Engineering and Geopolitics

The Balkans and China’s Strategy

Economic and Strategic Impacts of the Bridge

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China Stands Firm in Europe’s Backyard: The £358 Million Bridge That Changed European Geopolitics

With £ 358 million Invested, the Pelješac Bridge Connected Croatia and Eliminated Borders, but It Was China, Not the European Union, That Took the Credit. This Megaproject Reveals How Beijing Is Expanding Its Influence in the Balkans and Challenging European Hegemony in Its Own Backyard.

The Pelješac Bridge, a Landmark of Engineering and Geopolitics

The Balkans and China’s Strategy

Economic and Strategic Impacts of the Bridge

The Soviet Union spent 22 years drilling into the Earth’s crust and reached a depth of 12,262 meters — they found water where it was thought impossible, hydrogen bubbling from the rock, granite that is 2.7 billion years old, and temperatures of 180 degrees that melted the drill bits.

Egypt wants to draw 10 million cubic meters of water from the Nile per day into the desert, irrigate a new agricultural frontier, and build a city where there is currently only sand.

Norway is drilling 27 kilometers of rock 392 meters below the bottom of a fjord to build the world’s largest and deepest underwater road tunnel — when completed, a 21-hour journey will be reduced to 10.

An astronaut spent 340 days in space while his twin brother stayed on Earth, and NASA found a “rejuvenating” effect, genes, microbiome, cognition, and immune system that revealed the biological cost of living outside the planet.

Xiaomi launches new smart stove with titanium sensor and automatic shutdown that detects an open flame without supervision.

China has just successfully tested the world’s first ground effect maritime vehicle, a craft that flies up to 6 meters above the water at 200 km/h, uses quantum technology and 6G communication, and can rescue patients in the middle of the ocean.

It looks like Styrofoam, but it’s not: structural EPS combines polystyrene panels with metal meshes and shotcrete to form strong walls that cost up to 30% less than traditional masonry, and the system already has Inmetro certification.

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