Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo.In the "West Balkan area" in six non -European Union (EU), located on the west side of the Balkan Peninsula, the core of the communication infrastructure is the technology of Chinese companies.What China is aiming for in this area is the penetration of the digital version of the "Belt One Road" (Giant Economic Area Concept).
◇ West Vulcan community communication infrastructure Chinese company
Stefan vladisavljev, a member of Serbia's "Begrad Security Forum", wrote an article saying "China's" Digital Silk Road "advances to West Vulcan", and this June foreign policy.It was released through the War on the Rocks site on the national security issue.
What is written everywhere is the name of Chinese communication equipment, Huawei (Huawei).
The article starts with the following writing.
"If you walk in the city of Beograd, the capital of Serbia, your face will almost certainly be recorded on 1,000 Huawei surveillance cameras in the city.Conversation and video calls are made possible by Serbian landline phones and Huawei devices installed in broadband. "
Serbian state -owned telecom Sulviya announced in October 2016 that it has signed a contract for Huawei for 150 million euros (about 19.3 billion yen) for the development of optical fiber networks and high -speed Internet.In addition to projects such as smart cities, the construction of data centers and Huawei -related new business development bases, etc., and the collaboration business in China and Serbia may be huge.
Digital Silk Road is an important component of the Belt and Road, which promotes digitalization, mainly in China, led by China.There is a speculation that it will promote exports of Chinese digital products and services, and at the same time, the initiative of international standardization in technology such as the 5th -generation mobile communication system "5G".
In the article, Digital Silk Road says, "It covers a wide range of fields, from Chinese government initiatives to high -tech companies involved in China, from communication networks to smart city, electronic commercial transactions, and satellite positioning systems in China." View.
Not only Serbia, but also Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo, there are similar technologies provided by Chinese companies.
◇ Can Western countries provide alternative technology?
The article points out that the West Balkan area is an important relay point for "digital silk road".Behind this area are the European Union (EU) and the United States.
For the EU, the West Balkan area is familiar and is a group of countries that aim to join the EU in the future.Therefore, if the West Balkan area joins the EU, the influence of China's digital fields in the region may also extend to the EU -the article is concerned.
Montenegro, Albania, and Northern Macedonia are also members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and have a close relationship with the United States in the security field.
If China would be dominant in the region's digital infrastructure, it could be a US security concern.
The article says, "China has succeeded in promoting digital silk roads in the West Balkan area.""Serbia is a major partner in China, and the West Vulcan area, excluding Kosovo, has received China's cooperation in digital technology within a certain range."
Due to this sense of crisis, the United States and the EU have recently undergone pressure to limit China's presence in digital infrastructure in the West Balkan area.Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania have decided to limit and ban Chinese technology.
Will China's influence will increase in the technology development of the West Balkan area, or can Western countries provide alternative technology?The article complains to Western countries that they should focus on indicating "realistic options."