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Over the last decade, the long-standing relationships between the countries of the Western Balkans and China have been recast by a series of initiatives coming from Beijing. Some countries have fared better than others, particularly with regard to promises of Chinese investment. Future relationships will greatly depend on changes in the geopolitical environment: the expansion of the European Union and how China positions itself after the end of the war in Ukraine.Although the five Western Balkan countries initially viewed their cooperation with China and their participation in Chinese initiatives as a great opportunity, only some have managed to reap significant rewards.