Kosovo spends more than €2 million per day on goods imported from China—ranging from toys and household electrical appliances to food and agricultural products.
Data show a steadily growing presence of these goods in the Kosovar market. According to statistics from Kosovo Customs, the value of imports from China increased from €452 million in 2021 to €841 million in the first 11 months of 2025.
This figure has now surpassed the value of imports from CEFTA member states—Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova—which have traditionally been among Kosovo’s main regional trading partners.
Chinese goods in Kosovo
Over the past five years, Chinese products have recorded significant growth in Kosovo’s market. This reflects China’s increasing influence in the country’s import structure, even though Germany and Turkey continue to hold the highest overall levels of imports.
On the other hand, Kosovo’s exports to China remain almost symbolic—less than €1 million per year—deepening the trade deficit and placing economic relations between the two countries in a markedly imbalanced position.
Trade without diplomacy
Despite these trade exchanges, Pristina and Beijing do not have diplomatic relations.
China does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, declared in 2008, and continues to support the “territorial integrity of Serbia,” which constitutionally considers Kosovo part of its territory.
As a result, China does not have an embassy in Kosovo, but only a liaison office operating under the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.
Why is China so present in Kosovo’s market?
Gazmend Qorraj, a lecturer in International Trade at the University of Pristina, told Radio Free Europe that the low price of Chinese products is the main factor making them attractive in Kosovo’s market.
This, he says, is directly linked to the low purchasing power of citizens. Qorraj explains that businesses mainly operate according to profit logic, without necessarily considering macroeconomic or strategic implications.
“Traders invest where they see the greatest potential for profit, regardless of the origin of goods or products,” he adds.
Radio Free Europe contacted several companies that import goods from China, but very few agreed to speak publicly. Ramiz Kelmendi heads the “Elkos Group,” which offers a wide range of products—from food to textiles.
He says the company imports goods from China worth more than €12 million per year. However, according to him, the European Union and the United States remain the main sources of imports.
“Yes, the price is cheaper,” Kelmendi says, adding that the lack of domestic industry in sectors such as textiles and electrical engineering forces Kosovo to import from wherever products are more affordable.
Last year alone, Kosovo imported more than €14.4 million worth of electronic equipment from China—such as digital cameras, televisions, and antennas—as well as over €13 million worth of smartphones and other telephone devices.
Food from China – an economic and health concern
However, what concerns Professor Qorraj the most is the fact that customs data show imports of food and agricultural products from China.
“This is particularly problematic when it comes to agricultural products, because they are directly linked to public health safety,” he says.
From an economic perspective, Qorraj stresses that such imports harm local competition and discourage domestic producers, whose goods are often more expensive due to higher production costs.
Kelmendi sees this situation as the result of a lack of a clear economic policy.
“Kosovo does not produce bananas or pineapples, but it does produce garlic. The government should stimulate domestic production so that prices are competitive,” he says, adding that imports from China are not only unnecessary but also inefficient, as a shipment can take up to 120 days.
Qorraj also suggests incentive and protective measures for domestic producers, as well as greater orientation toward the European Union market and other markets where Kosovo enjoys preferential access.
China in the Western Balkans – uneven influence
A report published in September by the Kosovo Center for Security Studies (KCSS), titled “China’s Silent Footprint: Mapping Chinese Influence in Local Politics and the Economic Landscape in Kosovo,” highlights that China’s economic presence in the Western Balkans has grown significantly over the past decade.
According to the report, rising imports from China are creating trade dependency despite minimal exports, while business engagement is often driven by short-term profit, with limited awareness of long-term political and security consequences.
The Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo did not respond to Radio Free Europe’s questions regarding the increase in imports from China or the possibility of protective measures for domestic producers.
However, Prime Minister Albin Kurti—currently in office—has previously stated that despite imports from China, European Union countries remain Kosovo’s key trading partners.
In 2021, the Government of Kosovo rejected an offer of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, clearly signaling at the time its political and strategic orientation toward the West.
Serbia as a “testing ground” for Chinese influence
Xhelal Neziri, an analyst at the Balkan Institute for Regional Cooperation (BIRC) in North Macedonia, says that unlike Kosovo and Albania, Serbia serves as a “testing ground” for the expansion of China’s economic and political influence in the region.
According to him, in Kosovo, Chinese influence remains mainly commercial—without pronounced political or strategic weight.
“Kosovo, like Albania, is fully aligned with Western policies, specifically those of the United States and the European Union,” Neziri says.
Meanwhile, in other countries of the region—Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia—China has financed major infrastructure projects through loans, increasing its economic and, in some cases, political influence.
According to an analysis by the Digital Forensic Center (DFC) from Podgorica, China was the second-largest investor in Serbia in the first half of 2024, after the EU.
In Montenegro, its role as a creditor and contractor is evident, as shown by a loan of around $900 million from China’s Exim Bank for the construction of a highway in the early 2020s.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chinese influence is more visible in the Republika Srpska entity, through trade, education, media, and diplomacy, where economic and cultural cooperation increasingly carries political overtones.
In North Macedonia, debt to China amounts to $479 million, or 8.7 percent of the country’s external debt.
By contrast, Kosovo has no debt to China and no direct Chinese investments. Last year, foreign direct investment in Kosovo reached €847 million, but none of it originated from China.
The Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have not provided information on whether companies or non-governmental organizations of Chinese origin are registered in Kosovo. / RFE