 | |
 China |  North Macedonia |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Macedonian Embassy,Beijing | Chinese Embassy,Skopje |
ThePeople's Republic of China and theRepublic of North Macedonia maintainbilateral relations.
The People's Republic of China and North Macedonia established diplomatic relations in 1993. However, in 1999, North Macedonia established diplomatic relations with theRepublic of China, leading to the severance of diplomatic ties between the People's Republic of China and North Macedonia. Relations were not resumed until 2001. Since then, relations between the two countries have developed smoothly, with close exchanges in theeconomy,trade, andculture.
North Macedonia was formerly part of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, butdeclared independence onNovember 20, 1991.[1] On April 7, 1993, theUnited Nations General Assembly passed a resolution accepting North Macedonia as a member of theUnited Nations under the temporary name of "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia";[2] the People's Republic of China co-sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution.[3]: 324
On September 29, 1993, ChineseForeign MinisterQian Qichen attended theUnited Nations General Assembly and met withKiro Gligorov, then President of theRepublic of Macedonia. Qian stated that the People's Republic of China recognized the Republic of Macedonia as an independent sovereign state and was willing to developbilateral relations with it. Gligorov also expressed his willingness to continue political and economic exchanges with China.[3]: 324 On October 21 of the same year,Li Zhaoxing,China's Ambassador to the United Nations, andDenko Maleski, Macedonia's Ambassador to the United Nations, signed a jointcommuniqué inNew York,the United States, formally establishing relations between the two countries.[3]: 323 In the communiqué, the country was referred to as the "Republic of Macedonia", which drew strong opposition fromGreece.[4]
The Republic of China began sending personnel to Macedonia in 1997 to engage with opposition parties, including theVMRO-DPMNE and theDemocratic Choice Party, which performed well in the late 1998parliamentary elections.[5] Following the elections, the roles ofpresident andprime minister were held by individuals from different and rival political parties, although the president retained significant power.[6] Reports indicated that the Republic of China promised Macedonia US$300 million in cash and the construction of anindustrial park.[7] On January 27, 1999, the Republic of China established diplomatic relations with Macedonia. However, this decision was reportedly handled by the Prime Minister and theMinister of Foreign Affairs without President Gligorov's knowledge; he later refused to accept the credentials presented by the Republic of China's ambassador.Vasil Tupurkovski, a candidate in the1999 Macedonian presidential election, stated that Macedonia did not intend to cause trouble for the People's Republic of China and hoped for understanding.[7] He also believed that establishing diplomatic relations with the Republic of China could bring new opportunities to theBalkan Peninsula.[8]
Although Macedonia did not propose to sever ties with the People's Republic of China, the latter does not permit its diplomatic allies to simultaneously recognize the Republic of China. Consequently, the People's Republic of China severed diplomatic relations with Macedonia on February 9, 1999.[7] Following Macedonia's establishment of relations with the Republic of China, the People's Republic of China exercised its veto power in theUN Security Council on February 25, 1999, blocking the extension of theUN peacekeeping force's mission in Macedonia.[9]
In May 2001, changes occurred in theMacedonian government. The newly appointedDeputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, andDefense Minister were reportedly not in favor of continuing diplomatic relations with the Republic of China.[7] To maintain relations, the Republic of China's Foreign MinisterTien Hung-mao visited Macedonia in June of the same year, but Macedonian Foreign MinisterIlinka Mitreva refused to meet him. Taiwanese public opinion also generally disagreed with usingmoney diplomacy to retain North Macedonia. Mitreva stated at apress conference that the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs planned to sever diplomatic relations with theRepublic of China and normalize relations with the People's Republic of China.[10]
On June 12, aspokesman for theMacedonian government announced the government's decision to recognize the People's Republic of China and restore normal diplomatic relations.[7] On the morning of June 18, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, Zhang Xiaoyue, officially announced the severance of diplomatic relations.[11] The statement read, "The government of the Republic of China deeply regrets that the Macedonian government has disregarded the friendship between the two countries and succumbed to the threats and inducements of Beijing." Analysts believed the Macedonian government's move was intended to facilitate integration into theEuropean Union, where all member states recognize the People's Republic of China, and also because economic and trade cooperation with the Republic of China had not been particularly effective.[5]
In November 2011, the People's Republic of China provided 23school buses to Macedonia as aid. This action sparked controversy in China due to a2011 school bus accident in Gansu and the fact that Macedonia's per capitaGDP (US$5,098) was comparable to China's (US$5,614) that year. Some argued that Chinese authorities should prioritize improving the school bus situation within China.[12][13]
TheNational and University Library of North Macedonia houses a "Chinese Culture House," funded by theEmbassy of China in North Macedonia. It provides books, newspapers, magazines, and CDs about China and hosts activities promotingChinese culture.[14] Additionally, theUniversity of Saints Cyril and Methodius inNorth Macedonia andSouthwestern University of Finance and Economics inMainland China jointly operate aConfucius Institute. Established in September 2013, this institute offersChinese language courses and holds cultural events.[15]
The "Selected Works ofMacedonian Literature in Chinese Translation," compiled byHenan University of Science and Technology and four Macedoniansinologists, was published in December 2014.[16] This was the first joint translation ofMacedonian literary works into Chinese by scholars frommainland China andNorth Macedonia. In February 2015, Macedonian sinologistIgor Rajev released his translation of "Selected Works of Ancient Chinese Poetry," which includes over 300 Chinese poems from the "Book of Songs" to the end of theQing dynasty. Rajev had previously translated Chinese classics such as "The Analects of Confucius"," "The Great Learning," "The Doctrine of the Mean," and "Tao Te Ching" into Macedonian.[17] The "Chinese-Macedonian Small Dictionary," compiled by Chinese teachers from mainland China and North Macedonia, was published in May 2015.[18] This dictionary introduces the pronunciation, form, and meaning of commonChinese characters according to modern standard Chinese, serving as a resource for Macedonian beginners.[19] Some Chinese universities, such asBeijing Foreign Studies University, also offer courses in Macedonian.[20]
In mid-2014, Macedonian Prime MinisterNikola Gruevski visitedGuangzhou andHong Kong. In Hong Kong, he met with Chief ExecutiveLeung Chun-ying to discuss cooperation. Gruevski also visitedQueen Mary Hospital, and the two sides agreed that the hospital would provide training for doctors from North Macedonia.[21] In February 2015, a delegation fromNanchang City visitedSkopje, North Macedonia, for a cultural event featuring performances such as dance,erhu music, chorus,Tai Chi, andembroidery.[22]
In November 2024, the People's Republic of China announced it would unilaterally grantvisa-free entry to citizens of North Macedonia holding aNorth Macedonian passport for stays inMainland China not exceeding 30 days, effective until December 31, 2025.[23] Citizens can also enterHong Kong visa-free for 14 days andMacau visa-free for 90 days.[24]
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see also:Foreign relations of Yugoslavia | ||
