Perhaps the inclusion of Montenegro in this title will seem pretentious to some, but the lines that follow are actually a story about the times in which we live.
Let's start with the opening of the British Cultural and Information Center in Podgorica on October 28, 1994. It was actually the first diplomatic post of Great Britain in Montenegro since the end of World War I. In that war, Great Britain and Montenegro were allied states. Aware of the importance of the new diplomatic presence of a great country in Montenegro, the ambassador Ivor Roberts and the author of these lines gave appropriate speeches, with some inspiring moments.
Since we began this review with British culture, we will try to continue it with the help of a large ShakespeareSo, with a theatrical approach, at least partially, to de-dramatize a plot that might otherwise seem serious, even with elements of modern absurdity.
We remind you that in Shakespeare's play, the stage is a metaphor for life: some have a smaller role, some a larger one; the play is full of intrigue, and everything ends with the curtain coming down. This metaphor primarily refers to human beings, but it can also encompass states - entities that, although on a brightly lit stage, sometimes stage unusual, even surreal performances.
Here's one of those. In two acts.
The first one starts in the UK and moves to Montenegro in October 2025.
The second takes place in China and begins on January 28, 2026.
The play, therefore, lasts about three months, although it is only a fragment of a much longer story.
Now we leave Shakespeare and his verse, in fact the beautiful message "dare to dream", because the play that follows has a factual character. It is about bare facts.
The report compiled in London is being continued in Podgorica, where some domestic media outlets are promoting it as a significant document on October 10, 2025, under the title "British Strategic Defence Review Report 2025". The key sentence is immediately quoted in the media reports:
“Montenegro faces deep-rooted political and social challenges that also stem from external interference.”
This sentence is found in a document entitled “Rebuilding British Leadership in the Western Balkans: Recommendations Ahead of the London Conference of the Berlin Process.” Just comparing these two formulations speaks volumes.
In the preface to the report on the topic of foreign interference, it is noted that it was announced - Lord George Robertson of Port Ellin, former Secretary General of NATO, former Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom and one of the key authors and promoters of the Strategic Defense Review 2025.
The report lists external threats to Montenegro, primarily from Russia and Serbia, but also from China - which is the focus of this review. Lord Robertson warns:
“As the Russians, Chinese, and other state actors use the region as a playground for their adventures, citizens’ living standards will decline and young people will simply leave.”
It goes on to assess the true intentions of China's strategy, including the background to the promotion of the “Digital Silk Road” project. In short, the British report and the words of its promoters warn quite alarmingly about the consequences of Chinese cooperation with Montenegro.
The second act of this story took place on January 28, 2026, when a British delegation, led by Prime Minister Starmerom, arrives in Beijing. The delegation included more than 50 prominent business people. During the several-day visit, several agreements on economic and other forms of cooperation between Great Britain and China were signed.
British officials have been promoting cooperation between the two countries, speaking of a "sophisticated relationship," as Prime Minister Starmer described it in Beijing. An agreement has also been signed that allows Chinese citizens to enter the UK visa-free for a month.
There is no third act yet - except in the addition of the first two. Perhaps there will be one if Montenegro, in a more or less "sophisticated" way, starts to cooperate more intensively with China, of course, like the British, exclusively in accordance with its own interests. And without being monitored, suspected and controlled, with the risk of being humiliated.
The resulting situation of Montenegrin inferiority has its causes, primarily internal. It is true that in recent decades, intensive work has been done from the outside with local political elites - and not only political ones - with significant investments in such a project, often greater than in specific economic projects. The impression was that crime and corruption were sometimes turned a blind eye, with the aim of making colonial consciousness and practice part of our reality.
The results are visible.
The facts show that the Chinese did not appear in public reports about Montenegro - but they did build a highway, spectacularly overcoming the Montenegrin mountain ravines. Several Chinese workers lost their lives in the process.
Without a doubt, the highway brought traffic, tourism and economic progress. The citizens did not recognize the negative consequences, and young people certainly did not leave the country because of it. If there was damage, it was largely due to our own failures in defining the project terms of reference.
However, the previously built-up poltroon consciousness took its toll: after the “Chinese danger” was signaled from abroad, criticism of the project intensified in Montenegro. One of the political actors, then serving as deputy prime minister, even went to Brussels to complain about the balance of Chinese investment, hoping to gain favor with European structures. The country’s humiliation was further deepened by a request that the EU take over the repayment of its debt to China.
It is worth remembering: The Chinese did not impose this investment on us. We asked for it. The loan is being serviced properly for now.
Despite numerous examples of servility on the public stage, there remains hope that at least a minimum of state self-awareness, a sense of independence and dignity that has enabled its historical existence, will survive in Montenegro.
The author of these lines believes that openness towards great powers must be accompanied by a dose of caution. Yes, even towards China, an ancient state with an unusual system that today combines a capitalist market economy, a communist political ideology and elements of Confucian philosophy. A country that, with all its contradictions, has come a long way in its “long march” to the top of the world.
But be careful with Great Britain, more precisely in the role of guardian with supervisory ambitions, without significant investments here, except for those that, under the guise of "capacity building", are primarily limited to the control function.
We know and respect English history - the country of the first consolidated democracy in the world, a country Magna Carta from 1215, the first document in history that guaranteed human rights, freedoms and the limitation of government. Even at school, we were very interested in the ideas of great British thinkers - Bacon, Hobbes i Hume, especially with value messages John Locke, the ideologist of the bloodless "glorious revolution".
We also have to respect the cultural and civilizational achievements of the imperial era, for example those from the Victorian era, when the popular song was sung. Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves.
It is not easy to connect that magnificent tradition with the manifestations of this story: a British story about China in two acts - one in Montenegro, the other in Beijing.
It's true, it's not easy to connect today's Montenegro with the lyrics either. Alfred Tenison, a close friend of the British Prime Minister Gladstone:
“Great Montenegro!
Since your black ridges attract the clouds and break the storm,
"No more powerful race of highlanders walked the earth."
We are left to respect the history and interests of others, among them the British and Chinese.
But also to respect our own history, taking into account our own interests.
Isn't it?
Bonus video:
