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Kosovo spends over two million euros a day on goods imported from China - from toys and household appliances to food and agricultural products. Data shows an increasing presence of these goods in the Kosovar market.
According to Kosovo Customs statistics, the value of imports from China has increased from 452 million euros in 2021 to 841 million euros in the first 11 months of 2025.
This amount has already exceeded the value of imports from CEFTA member countries - Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova - which have traditionally been among Kosovo's main trading partners in the region.
On the other hand, Kosovo's exports to China remain almost symbolic: less than one million euros per year - which significantly deepens the trade deficit and places the economic relationship between the two countries in a marked imbalance.
Trade without diplomacy
Despite these trade exchanges, Pristina and Beijing do not have diplomatic relations.
China does not recognize Kosovo's independence, declared in 2008, and continues to support the "territorial integrity of Serbia ", which, by its Constitution, considers Kosovo part of its territory.
As a result, China does not have an embassy in Kosovo, but only a liaison office that operates under the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.
Why is China so present in the Kosovo market?
Gazmend Qorraj, a lecturer in International Trade at the University of Pristina, tells Radio Free Europe that the low price of Chinese products is the main factor that makes them attractive to the Kosovo market.
And, this is directly related to the low purchasing power of citizens, according to him.
Qorraj explains that businesses act primarily guided by the logic of profit, without necessarily considering macroeconomic or strategic implications.
" Traders invest where they see the greatest potential for profit, regardless of the origin of the goods or products ," he adds.
Radio Free Europe contacted several companies that import goods from China, but very few agreed to speak publicly.
Ramiz Kelmendi leads the company "Elkos Group", which offers a wide range of products, from food to textiles.
He says that this company imports goods from China worth over 12 million euros per year. However, according to him, the European Union and the United States of America remain the main sources of imports.
" Yes, the price is cheaper ," says Kelmendi, adding that the lack of local industry in sectors such as textiles and electrical engineering forces Kosovo to import where products are more affordable.
Last year alone, Kosovo imported over 14.4 million euros worth of electronic equipment from China, such as digital cameras, televisions and antennas, as well as over 13 million euros worth of smartphones and other telephones./ REL
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