Chinese-backed energy and mining projects across the Balkans—long seen as untouchable due to political alliances and access to fast capital—are now facing a wave of legal challenges, environmental scrutiny, and growing local resistance. A series of disputes, from solar farms to major copper mines, is reshaping the conversation about foreign investment, community rights, and environmental protection in the region.
The turning point came when a young Chinese construction worker died at the Aurora Solar site near Stolac in Bosnia-Herzegovina. An inspection following the accident uncovered dozens of undocumented Chinese workers, prompting authorities to deport them, declare the multimillion-dollar solar project illegal, and launch investigations into the misuse of public land. Yet residents say construction activity has not fully ceased.
For years, China’s projects in the Balkans moved forward with little disruption, protected by political backing and an appetite for rapid development. The Stolac case represents one of the most significant legal challenges yet—proof that public opposition can alter the course of projects once thought inevitable.
Experts argue that many local governments embraced Chinese investment as a shortcut to economic progress, often at the expense of enforcing labor laws and environmental safeguards. “Chinese companies behave in the Balkans the way they are allowed to,” said Vuk Vuksanovic of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy.
Local Communities Push Back
Residents in Stolac say their fight began when they discovered that elements of the solar project were built dangerously close to residential areas. They warned that the terrain is prone to landslides and pointed to past tragedies as evidence of risk. Community members spent months studying legal documents, eventually prompting officials to halt new construction.
“The location is a proven landslide-prone area,” said resident Arman Ajanic, explaining why locals mobilized against the project. He stressed that it should be institutions—not ordinary citizens—who enforce laws meant to protect public safety.
The company behind the project, NORINCO, maintains that all workers were legally employed and proper paperwork was provided. But the findings triggered broader concerns about compliance, transparency, and oversight.
A Pattern Across the Region
The Stolac case reflects a growing pattern throughout the Balkans, where several high-profile Chinese-backed ventures have encountered similar controversies.
In Bosnia’s Ulog and Bistrica, hydropower projects have been stalled or challenged due to allegations of environmental degradation, fish die-offs, and irregular permitting processes. Critics say such problems stem from weak oversight and political incentives that allow contractors too much leeway.
“Local elites give free rein to the Chinese so that a project can get completed,” Vuksanovic noted, warning that cutting corners on labor and environmental rules invites long-term damage.
Serbia’s Mining Disputes Highlight Deeper Tensions
Across the border in Serbia, opposition movements have struggled to gain traction. In the mining town of Bor—home to the country’s only major copper operation—locals accuse the Chinese conglomerate Zijin Mining Group of violating environmental norms, seizing land, and polluting the air with dangerous substances, including arsenic.
Villager Miodrag Zivkovic says he lost his land through expropriation and is now locked in a legal battle with Zijin, which is listed as the beneficiary of the seizure. He argues that authorities bypassed due process and prioritized the company’s interests over those of local residents.
“There is no such thing as a green mine, especially not here,” he said, pointing to air-quality readings that residents describe as disastrous.
Since taking over Bor’s copper and precious-metals operations, Zijin has become one of Serbia’s largest exporters. Serbian leaders have celebrated the partnership as part of a “steel friendship,” but locals say the cost is visible in polluted air, disrupted communities, and unresolved court cases.
China’s ‘Green’ Strategy Faces Balkan Roadblocks
Analysts say the Balkans have become a strategic foothold for China as it sharpens its focus on renewable energy and seeks to meet European Union standards. China is the world’s leading producer of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles—industries powered by minerals like copper, lithium, and nickel.
Vladimir Shopov of the European Council on Foreign Relations argues that Beijing uses the region as a testing ground to refine its environmental practices while advancing political and economic influence.
Chinese firms have funded green-energy projects across the world, often using local intermediaries to navigate regions with loose regulatory systems. But as the Stolac case shows, weak oversight can backfire when communities organize and push for accountability.
What began with a tragic workplace death escalated into the collapse of an entire development plan. Now, activists across Bosnia are joining forces to challenge other ventures they believe violate public land regulations or environmental protections.
