Building Balkan Bridges: Navigating China’s Influence and Public Perception

This study explores how Chinese development finance shapes public opinion in the Western Balkans Six (WB6): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro. We contribute theoretically by highlighting that aid’s impact is conditioned by (i) citizens’ support for incumbent governments and (ii) their perceptions of corruption. We utilize a mixed-methods approach, combining a representative regional survey, data on Chinese development financing, and interviews in Albania, Kosovo, Serbia. We find that Chinese assistance tends to improve China’s image, particularly among supporters of incumbent governments, while citizens who perceive high levels of corruption are more skeptical of such projects.