The background of the contemporary Macedonian “antiquization” can be found in the nineteenth century and the myth of ancient descent among Orthodox Slavic speakers in Macedonia, adopted partially due to Greek cultural inputs. The idea of Ancient Macedonian nationhood has also been included in the national mythology during the Yugoslav era. An additional factor for its preservation has been the influence of the Macedonian Diaspora. After independence, attempts to use myth of ancient descent had to be abandoned due to political pressure by Greece. Contemporary antiquization on the other hand, has been revived as an efficient tool for political mobilization. It is manifested as a belated invention and mass-production of tradition, carried out through the creation of new ceremonies, interventions in the public space and dissemination of mythological and metaphysical narratives on the origin of the nation. There have also been attempts to scientifically rationalize claims to ancient nationhood. On the political level, the process of antiquization reinforced the political primacy of its promoters, the ruling Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), but had a negative impact on the interethnic relations and the international position of the country.

This paper provides an overview of China's burgeoning relationship with Central, East and Southeast Europe (CESEE) in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has rapidly expanded the extent of its interactions with CESEE since 2012, and this region has subsequently become one of the focal points of the BRI. The key feature of China's engagement with CESEE is the devising of an experimental and innovative approach, demonstrated in the establishment of an institutional mechanism for cooperation with a particular group of 16 CESEE countries (16+1). The case of China-CESEE relations offers an insight into how, in the era of the BRI, China is complementing its economic approach with institution-building and policy coordination.The article concludes that as the BRI progresses, these tendencies will remain central to China's relations with CESEE.

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China's relations with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have been progressively attracting attention in recent years. In the last decade, China sought to restore the "bridges" (Wasserstrom 2000) with the region that had existed in the period 1949-1989. Chinese policymakers have long contemplated their "return" to CEE (Tubilewicz 1998); however, they have found the right opportunity only in the period after the global financial crisis. The first trade and investment summit of China and the sixteen countries in the region