These developments, Moscow’s Novaya Gazeta suggests, are part of what people in the Balkans are now calling “the diplomacy of protective masks.” So far, Moscow has gained the upper hand because Brussels has receded and Beijing has not built on its initial moves. But the Chinese move and its positive reception in Belgrade shows that geopolitics in the Balkans is no longer just between Russia and the West. Now, competition in the region is a triangle involving Russia, China and the West, and is thus more unstable and more unpredictable. China can and likely will continue to intervene in the region, while Russia will presumably work just as hard to block Beijing as it has struggled to keep out NATO.
