Competing Green Visions: The EU, China, and the Foreign Policy Dilemmas for Serbia

Šekarić Stojanović, Nevena (2025) Competing Green Visions: The EU, China, and the Foreign Policy Dilemmas for Serbia. In: Risks for Serbian Foreign Policy in the Fragmentation of the International Order — Actors, Processes, and Outcomes. Institut za međunarodnu politiku i privredu, Beograd, pp. 136-159. ISBN 978-86-7067-363-2

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Abstract

The global energy transition has elevated energy policy to a strategic geopolitical issue, intensifying the competition between great powers while reshaping the international order. China has emerged as a key actor in this “new energy race,” positioning itself as a green superpower through large-scale investments in renewable energy and a strategic integration of green diplomacy into its foreign policy. Similarly, the European Union has advanced a normative and regulatory model of sustainability, promoting a green agenda both domestically and globally. However, both actors face internal contradictions: China remains heavily reliant on coal, while the EU faces with internal fragmentation and geopolitical dependence. These green superpowers are redefining global influence through competing energy visions, raising critical questions for small states such as Republic of Serbia. Situated at the crossroads of global power shifts, Serbia faces complex foreign policy challenges in aligning with or balancing between these actors’ green strategies. This paper analyses the dual nature of the EU’s and China’s green leadership. Using the conceptual frameworks of green superpower and green foreign energy policy, the study critically examines the implications for Serbia’s foreign policy, highlighting strategic dilemmas and risks in navigating an increasingly multipolar and environmentally securitized global landscape. This in-depth descriptive study is based on a critical literature review, qualitative content analysis of key energy-related strategies and policies, and secondary data analysis.

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