China’s Role in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Critical Infrastructure Development and Security

Abstract

The importance of critical infrastructure emphasizes the need for their protection and makes that topic an important national and international concern as well. Bosnia and Herzegovina is in a complex position regarding the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative project, thus requiring a very meticulous analysis of the security aspects of critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure protection task requires coordination and collaboration of all stakeholders, beginning with infrastructure owners and operators and including various public and private organizations and institutions, companies, technology vendors, etc. Besides the common elements that define bilateral relations between China and any partner in BRI, there are specific geopolitical, security and financial components to be taken into consideration for analysis. This study is focused on critical infrastructure with the purpose of providing an initial security assessment of CI in the BiH within the framework of security risk analysis related to Chinese projects and investments.  Hence, the study pinpoints key topics for further influence analysis and presents the key elements of the critical infrastructure risk assessment and resilience.