As the Financial Times reported in February, the European Commission is investigating China’s first railway project in Europe, a high-speed train that will connect Belgrade and Budapest. While Hungary and Serbia have both signed agreements for the project, the commission is focused on the former, as Hungary is subject to EU rules requiring that public tenders be offered for such projects. The probe into a project held up as a cornerstone of One Belt, One Road is a test for how China’s grand strategy will fare in Europe, an essential component of its connectivity goals.
Great Wall of the EU: China at the gates
A European Commission investigation into a high-profile One Belt, One Road project could slow the initiative’s momentum at the EU border. The probe is focused on a section of a proposed Belgrade-Budapest highspeed railway that crosses into the EU.
