China as a Black Sea Actor: An Alternate Route

Niklas Swanström

Book Chapter July, 2024

China’s international role has expanded rapidly in the last decades, and the Greater Central Asian region, Europe, and the Middle East, to which the Black Sea region (BSR) connects, are no exceptions. That said, the region is only a part of a much larger scheme connecting China to Europe and the Middle East through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the BSR has become a hub for transit trade to and from China. Still, the region has yet to be a priority for China despite some significant investments. The Chinese leadership has attempted to diversify the routes for transit trade from Europe and the Middle East without replacing Russia as its main route, ensuring that China relies on more than one actor for overland transit. This trend became particularly essential with the expansion of the BRI, the congestion of maritime routes and Russia’s Northern Route, and, most recently, the isolation of Russia from Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This chapter by Niklas Swanström analyses how China has engaged the Black Sea region, traditionally seen as Russia’s backyard or even a part of Russia by Beijing. The focus is on how it is slowly becoming more crucial in China’s attempts to reach Europe and the Middle East, regions of more commercial and geopolitical interest, and to balance the U.S. and, to a lesser degree, the EU. It also attempts to give recommendations on what Europe should do to counter a primarily negative Chinese presence in the region and engage where it is beneficial.

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