US-Chinese rivalry does not affect Slovakia very much except as regards the tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration, which hurt Slovakia’s car exports. But the tariffs are not seen by the Slovak government as a major impediment to bilateral relations. Three main reasons explain this: (1) competition between the US and China is not as relevant for Slovakia’s interests as the struggle between the West and Russia; (2) Slovakia’s relations with the US and China are different in nature, since Slovakia has a political-strategic relationship with the US and a commerce-based relationship with China, in fact, they are almost two unrelated dyadic relationships, given the proximity with the US in terms of values as opposed to a historically distanced relationship with China; and (3) while the US is perceived as vital to Slovakia’s security, China’s importance is far lower. A consequence of this is a rather stable policy over time, prioritising the partnership with the US, and this is most likely to remain unchanged.
The Slovak public tend to opt between the West and Russia rather than between the US and China. According to a 2019 poll, no more than 23% of Slovaks want the country to be part of the West, which is the second-lowest score among seven countries surveyed in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Most people (46%) prefer their country to be positioned between the West and the East (associated with Russia) and 10% as part of the East. What is even more striking, despite 15 years of NATO membership, 41% of Slovaks consider the US a significant threat. Only 26% believe the same about Russia and 29% about China.
On the other hand, the Slovak elites consider the US to be the guarantor of the country’s sovereignty, recalling the Munich Agreement in 1938 when France and the UK abandoned Czechoslovakia to Hitler. At the same time, Slovakia’s economy has been dependent on Western Europe, particularly Germany. Consequently, Slovak foreign policy has tried to walk a fine line between voters’ preferences, while not offending any major power.
China-related developments are rarely seen as a priority in Slovakia and the role of China in Slovakia is limited. There is a lack of political will to invest in enhancing relations with China. The Slovak government does not want to antagonise China and therefore it avoids publicly taking sides.
The article was originally published by European Think-tank Network on China.
