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A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called on the Kosovo authorities to safeguard the safety, rights and interests of the Serb community, reported Xinhua.
The situation in northern Kosovo has been volatile, with authorities carrying out acts that have violated the legitimate rights and interests of the Serbs. China expresses grave concerns over those developments, said Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, at the meeting of the UN Security Council.
“We urge the Kosovo authorities to cease escalatory unilateral actions, earnestly safeguard the safety and legitimate rights and interests of the Serb community, and maintain peace and stability in the north,” he told the Security Council.
The complex ethnic relations in the region have been shaped by history. Inclusion and reconciliation serve the long-term and fundamental interests of all communities, he said.
“We call on the Kosovo authorities to take seriously the basic appeals of all communities, including Serbs, in political, economic, cultural, and linguistic domains, and adopt proactive measures to foster a stronger sense of security, participation, and fulfillment, thus contributing to greater mutual trust and unity among communities,” he said.
Geng said China supports all parties concerned in reaching a mutually acceptable solution through dialogue and consultation, with Serbia’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity fully respected.
China stands ready to work with all parties to continue to promote dialogue, engagement, and peaceful coexistence among communities in the region and the early political settlement of the Kosovo issue, he said.
Commentary: China supports Serbia on the issue of Kosovo. Therefore, both in the Xinhua information and in the statement quoted by the agency, only the term “authorities” of Kosovo is used repeatedly, not the government. In addition, Beijing’s stated readiness to participate in the dialogue between the communities in the region and the political settlement of the Kosovo issue is also impressive. Russia’s growing isolation and the upward development of China’s relations with Serbia put Beijing in an increasingly better position to displace Russia as Serbia’s mentor in the dialogue with Kosovo. For Beijing, the case of Kosovo is very similar to the case of Taiwan.China is against any separatist aspirations that may threaten the “One China” policy on Taiwan and looks at the position of Taiwan the same way that Serbia looks at Kosovo, as an inalienable part of its territory. China is expanding its mediation toolkit in various conflicts around the world, including in the Balkans, without officially announcing a change in its policy of non-intervention. In summary, China’s increasing role in Serbia’s Kosovo strategy highlights a strategic shift, with China providing both economic support and political backing, thereby gradually displacing Russia’s traditional role. This evolution reflects broader geopolitical changes and China’s expanding influence in the Balkans.
