China–North Macedonia relations

Last updated
China–North Macedonia relations
China North Macedonia Locator.svg
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
China 		Flag of North Macedonia.svg
North Macedonia
Diplomatic mission
Macedonian Embassy, Beijing Chinese Embassy, Skopje

The People's Republic of China and the Republic of North Macedonia maintain bilateral relations.

Contents

The People's Republic of China and North Macedonia established diplomatic relations in 1993. However, in 1999, North Macedonia established diplomatic relations with the Republic 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 the economy, trade, and culture.

History

1990s to 2000s

North Macedonia was formerly part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, but declared independence on November 20, 1991. [1] On April 7, 1993, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution accepting North Macedonia as a member of the United 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, Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen attended the United Nations General Assembly and met with Kiro Gligorov, then President of the Republic 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 develop bilateral 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, and Denko Maleski, Macedonia's Ambassador to the United Nations, signed a joint communiqué in New 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 from Greece. [4]

The Republic of China began sending personnel to Macedonia in 1997 to engage with opposition parties, including the VMRO-DPMNE and the Democratic Choice Party, which performed well in the late 1998 parliamentary elections. [5] Following the elections, the roles of president and prime 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 an industrial 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 the Minister 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 the 1999 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 the Balkan 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 the UN Security Council on February 25, 1999, blocking the extension of the UN peacekeeping force's mission in Macedonia. [9]

In May 2001, changes occurred in the Macedonian government. The newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Defense 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 Minister Tien Hung-mao visited Macedonia in June of the same year, but Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva refused to meet him. Taiwanese public opinion also generally disagreed with using money diplomacy to retain North Macedonia. Mitreva stated at a press conference that the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs planned to sever diplomatic relations with the Republic of China and normalize relations with the People's Republic of China. [10]

On June 12, a spokesman for the Macedonian 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] [12] 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 the European 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]

2010s to present

In November 2011, the People's Republic of China provided 23 school buses to Macedonia as aid. This action sparked controversy in China due to a 2011 school bus accident in Gansu and the fact that Macedonia's per capita GDP (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. [13] [14]

Cultural relations

The National and University Library of North Macedonia houses a "Chinese Culture House," funded by the Embassy of China in North Macedonia. It provides books, newspapers, magazines, and CDs about China and hosts activities promoting Chinese culture. [15] Additionally, the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in North Macedonia and Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Mainland China jointly operate a Confucius Institute. Established in September 2013, this institute offers Chinese language courses and holds cultural events. [16]

The "Selected Works of Macedonian Literature in Chinese Translation," compiled by Henan University of Science and Technology and four Macedonian sinologists, was published in December 2014. [17] This was the first joint translation of Macedonian literary works into Chinese by scholars from mainland China and North Macedonia. In February 2015, Macedonian sinologist Igor 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 the Qing 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. [18] The "Chinese-Macedonian Small Dictionary," compiled by Chinese teachers from mainland China and North Macedonia, was published in May 2015. [19] This dictionary introduces the pronunciation, form, and meaning of common Chinese characters according to modern standard Chinese, serving as a resource for Macedonian beginners. [20] Some Chinese universities, such as Beijing Foreign Studies University, also offer courses in Macedonian. [21]

In mid-2014, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski visited Guangzhou and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, he met with Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to discuss cooperation. Gruevski also visited Queen Mary Hospital, and the two sides agreed that the hospital would provide training for doctors from North Macedonia. [22] In February 2015, a delegation from Nanchang City visited Skopje, North Macedonia, for a cultural event featuring performances such as dance, erhu music, chorus, Tai Chi, and embroidery. [23]

In November 2024, the People's Republic of China announced it would unilaterally grant visa-free entry to citizens of North Macedonia holding a North Macedonian passport for stays in Mainland China not exceeding 30 days, effective until December 31, 2025. [24] Citizens can also enter Hong Kong visa-free for 14 days and Macau visa-free for 90 days. [25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "马其顿国家概况". 中华人民共和国外交部. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  2. ↑ "中马关系". 中华人民共和国驻马其顿共和国大使馆. 2015-01-16. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  3. 1 2 3 中华人民共和国外交部外交史编辑室 (1994). 中国外交概览. 世界知识出版社.
  4. ↑ "马其顿". 中国社会科学院欧洲研究所. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  5. 1 2 "中国马其顿再度握手". 环球时报. 2001-06-22. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  6. ↑ "扁"外交"失敗拉蕭萬長下水 蕭立即反駁". 中國評論新聞. 2007-08-26. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 任逸 (2001-06-15). "馬其頓與台灣斷交內幕". 人民網. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  8. ↑ 江靜玲 (1999). "經援馬其頓 每年花費上億美元". 中國時報.
  9. ↑ "常任理事国如何行使否决权". 中国网. 2005-06-17. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  10. ↑ 楊孟瑜 (2001-06-01). "台灣稱對馬其頓不委曲求全". BBC中文網. Archived from the original on 2015-09-07. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  11. ↑ "台灣搶先宣布與馬其頓斷交". 大紀元. 2001-06-18. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  12. ↑ 許雪姬. "中華民國歷任駐外大使(遷臺後，1949－2003.10)". 《台灣歷史辭典》（附錄）. 行政院文化建設委員會.
  13. ↑ "中国援马其顿校车引网上热议-"未安内先援外"". Archived from the original on 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  14. ↑ 周宇 (2011-12-05). "吴建民：国人热议捐赠马其顿校车反映弱国心态". 京华时报. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  15. ↑ "驻马其顿使馆举行中国文化之家成立仪式". 中华人民共和国驻马其顿共和国大使馆. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  16. ↑ 王佳宁 (编); 刘力航 (2013-09-03). "马其顿第一家孔子学院成立". 新华网. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  17. ↑ "我校教师主持马其顿文化部项目《汉译马其顿文学作品选》". 河南科技学院. 2014-12-15. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  18. ↑ "马其顿翻译出版《中国古典诗歌选集》". 中华人民共和国驻马其顿共和国大使馆. 2015-02-11. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  19. ↑ "圣基里尔•麦托迪大学孔子学院举办马其顿文《论语》推介发布会". 孔子学院总部/国家汉办. 2013-11-22. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  20. ↑ "圣基里尔•麦托迪大学孔院出版《汉语－马其顿语小字典》". 孔子学院总部/国家汉办. 2015-05-25. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  21. ↑ "Intro of University". 北京外国语大学. Archived from the original on 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  22. ↑ "马其顿总理格鲁埃夫斯基访问中国广州、香港". 中华人民共和国驻马其顿共和国大使馆经济商务参赞处. 2014-07-09. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  23. ↑ 徐蕾 (2015-02-28). "斯科普里刮起强劲"中国风"". 南昌日报. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  24. ↑ "外交部：中方决定扩大免签国家范围". 中國領事服務網. 2024-11-22. Archived from the original on 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  25. ↑ "非澳門居民之入境及出境". 澳門特別行政區政府. 2021. Archived from the original on 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.