The event was opened by the director of the office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Skopje, Daniel Braun, who reflected on the long-term activity of the Foundation in North Macedonia and the importance of the research topic. The world political scene is undergoing major changes, the differences/contradictions between the political systems in the countries of the world are becoming more pronounced and this represents an increasing challenge when we talk about cooperation between certain countries in many areas. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, we have become aware that unilateral economic dependence can be problematic. Economic ties with China are incomparably greater compared to those with Russia. At the same time, we are witnessing the increasingly pronounced activities of China, which propagates its social model that is significantly different from the Western one, particularly when it comes to human rights and democracy. At today's panel discussion, we are discussing the very methods and strategies used by China to achieve these goals - Braun pointed out in his opening address.
After his address, the author of the publication and president of ESTIMA, Dr. Ana Krstinovska, presented the main aspects of the research, which is based on an original methodological framework, as well as empirical data gathered through a survey, focus groups and interviews with different target groups. Namely, according to the findings, in the Macedonian media space, there is a serious lack of credible information, analytical content and public debate about China, its presence and activities in the country. While China mostly enjoys a positive reputation when it comes to economic and cultural topics, there is an awareness that it is an authoritarian regime with a controlled flow of information, which has an impact on the perception of the Macedonian citizens. Although China is considered to have limited influence in the country and so far there are no significant benefits from the economic cooperation, its economic power plays a key role in building expectations and perceptions among the citizens, along with the culture that remains little understood and uninfluential.
The presentation of the key findings was followed by a presentation by Dr. Christopher Nehring, an associate of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Media Program in South East Europe at the University of St. Clement of Ohrid" - Sofia, who drew a parallel with the Chinese presence and soft power in Bulgaria. Nehring referred to the new tendencies in the use of soft power tools by China, with special emphasis on the cooperation and synergy between China and Russia and the operation of the Confucius Institutes in Bulgaria. Through practical examples, he illustrated the different interpretations and narratives in China versus the democratic world in relation to the events of Tiananmen or the war in Ukraine.
The following address was made by Antonio Moloshoski, president of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy and a member of the International Parliamentary Alliance for China (IPAC), who addressed the political implications of the Chinese presence in the country. In his address, he gave a brief overview of the current political situation in China, especially since the election of President Xi, and the implications globally, including the region. He presented the activities of the International Parliamentary Alliance for China, which is an informal association of parliamentarians from all over the world, in which Macedonia has recently been represented.
The discussion was moderated by prof. Dr. Hristina Runcheva-Tasev from the Law Faculty "Iustinianus Primus" - Skopje.
The research paper is available here.
