that brings up today to know the international news. i've been puzzling. thanks for watching the go. we stay with us. i'll be back next out with one each by the people in trucks engine trying to see the city center and the straight pieces explain the around the world more than 150000000 people us we of mine because no one should have to

make up your own mind dw, may 4 mines of the in serbia. the consequences of chinese influence in the balkans now clearer than ever a surge of violence. following the dead's 15 people killed when a train station walls suddenly collapsed. that station just one part of a larger chinese project stretching across the balkans and deeper into europe. a series of real connections known as cord or 10 at the pathway for chinese export, the with big showcase projects along the way, the more in the works. now europe is racing to keep

up pushing to complete a different route from albania, to the coast of the black sea, a growing priority at a time of war and with consequences for the regions economy. the, we're taking a trip to see it firsthand 2 weeks across the balkans. the along the way, we'll look at how big rail projects are connecting regions as well as the bumps along the way. we'll see where things appear to be working quite pleasant terminal . and we'll look at where they threaten to break down the rail and the future of the balkans. coming up the our journey begins here, the coast of albania, torres hub on the age we had exceed since roman times. today,

a modern tourist hotspot. and i'll be in use gateway to global trade. the port here pushes goods across the balkans. it is a growth engine for this non e u country. so when goods travel further, they typically travel like this baby see how the cargo moves in and out of this board where there is no rail. it all goes by truck soon. there could be another way to use funding, a real connection between the adriatic and black seas that could provide a boost of cities along the way. but there's another reason europe wants it, its own security, alternative paths to the black. so you haven't treat nearby towers for a long time, but more recently, it's been the problems posed by the boss for us were 30 exercises sol, control. it's pushing nations to look for alternatives. in particular, at rail. the one problem is already the current state of

albanian rail investment has failed. for decades, many routes are no longer operable. the traits themselves olds and in constant need of rebuilding the josh, really the busy, the just don't want search engine albini. israel system hills from another era, a 20 year period when china was its closest ally. and traces of that past will be and he was also ruled by a communist dictator, are still interested into the system. here is a communist slogan written on the walls here with very typical back in that era is has a pick axe in one hand and a rifle in the other. we're at the train station in elbows on a steel town, south of doris. and the one time hub for industrial transports traveling throughout

the country from the apollo was once the station manager here, the eldest son, who remembers the height of the railway 3, i'll be in these communist era and how it fell apart over the following decades. where it's quit going to some of the embassy let's say, don't use that. you said, boom, simple value, which if you little collapse the new for us to i'm unable to do this visa sedation . you can but special cable that's a little bit difficult to us in regards to that and use it. you don't have to reduce that route. but i think i'm better than fuck today. only 2 trains to part from elvis on per week. and just on the weekends, they can barely go over 50 kilometers an hour for system built to go twice as fast . will this former real work or live to see a modern system? written a bit on mondays, but maybe switch on top of the week at that a before. so you know one bed williams thought it'd be at the say the data,

but it'd be of no one bad. you could, i would assume you the, the button you able to let it looks. but in fact, the work has already begun with you. you financing half and grants, half in loans, albania is already refurbishing its older real lines and building newer ones. the 1st project updates a line between daughters and the capital to run it and includes a new spur to the airport. the workers will then move down toward elvis on and over to the border with north macedonia. the project is supposed to be finished by 2030 despite its former times without being here, it is considerable role in other parts of the region. china, please, no part in helping use current plans. the idea of a chinese high speed rail project unthinkable in this country side of old bridges and decaying tunnels. the

but it's not just infrastructure, that's a challenge. corruption is never, far from people's minds. here. this man says he can still remember construction of the original rail line and how it stopped short of the border. the name yeah, kevin. well born martin. you're good to mid day of a tradition and like you to donate new me at that you made that or maybe a 30 minute would that if some of those are the blue circle, she's yes, bought it to see if the ends all of the bodies score corruption wasn't uncommon in those times, it remains a problem across the region. somewhere in this area over here is where the new rail on should come out and cross the border into north macedonia. we've heard a bit of optimism about what's coming. also a bit of doubt about whether it will actually take place. one thing is clear,

albania believes in the funded project, but still has a long way to go. as does its neighbor north macedonia. a mountainous country still outside the e. u and the country exactly at the crossroads with the regions. 2 big projects. the route coming from albania, core door 8 here in yellow, and the route between greece and budapest preferred by china cord or tent in red. the challenge here in scope yet is that relations with neighbors have long been difficult. once it was greece, today's bulgaria, which refuses to recognize the macedonian language. and that makes projects like this one even harder. this is one of the new stations heading towards bull gary. it opened in january, not long after we felt one problem is the costs are rising for the final approach to bulgaria to 23000000 euro is a kilometer. that's because there's never been

a connection between the 2 nations and current tensions make planning a new crossing difficult. we're being shown around by 2 sites, supervisors, alexander and casino both just 27 years old. they're eager to see the line finished and frustrated over the ongoing dispute with ball gary and you open come to the man . you open uh confident this is a member of your group in union such as will give you 2 in 20 one's since us into the to do not recognize the language of the neighboring country. little through the coordinators the most. so don't owings. not only did they blame bull gary for holding up the new line, they're upset that it's blocking north macedonia admission process into the u. both believe north macedonia belongs in the block, and sooner rather than later, the not going to go to the voluminous level for either you understood

or we can love or is it, i would love to, to be serial a sort of a mean to be back in scope you were a new government, appears to be more torn over the issue. we meet with the countries director of real infrastructure, who explains why the line preferred by the chinese is more attractive to his government. sense. for us as a concept, quarter of 10 is much, much more economical, more attractive because it's connected to a concert with the, the, the, a couple i look forward to. so looking forward to hearing from you the as on support. so not, this must be interesting who is going to make the rounds, but if it's trying to sort euro pin on or whatever a company is really interesting, that the capacity of the, of the car to transfer to increasing the maximum maximum level. and it's not just the government that sees more advantages to the route coming from greece, killed macedonia, manufacturers seats for transportation, like buses and airplanes,

and is located just west of scope you along the planned cord, or 8. again, that's the route preferred by the e. u keel as an example of the investment flowing these days into north macedonia. products here are shit by road. in theory, the built up real system with lower costs will for me, i think more for the thought of this will solve because we get more input, the next part from the euro. and this is made before us as a company is a deal more uh that will just vehicles if he's connected to our supply. and one thing is clear, north macedonia is current system needs help. we visit the main train station. the neglect is obvious, cigarettes and the ticket machine, the hallways are run down and occasionally falling apart. handful trains run daily from the station here. if at all for this is not an dislike one moment,

your name is spelled as muscle view of the fios um is not the the that the so that the lease on that please as its move on. yeah. do you mind calling me on the lease is up to 21. yeah. north macedonia was once an important part of a larger real connection between build rate and athens. today, it's pretty much a collection of isolated segments. there are no more international passenger connections, only for freight trains. domestically rail is mostly for those who can't afford any other way, a 2 hour ride, well surprisingly unavailable. the question is which way macedonia will go toward china, where the u. k. seems quite possible that the new government here is going to turn more to try to use investment compared to the past one. and the businesses may look at some of those projects as being to their advantage. but what does that mean to north macedonia? as long efforts to join the you?

one thing seems clear. rail is likely to play a large role in the politics here in the coming years, the the half play announced a story. scroll down the movie they close. almost flawless on the label. how many good i've been to come up. i believe the support team of the product that they're state discussed, the impulse payment or the gainesville support, basically a little that'd be more than

a few items that already got to come on at west point in the ceiling. come with the effect next on d w. the biggest church stage is construction a company to mice at the christian church to this day. it's mondays of to conclude, this is the secret behind the city in 45 minutes on d w the not just another day. so much is happening all at once. we take time to understand this is the day an in depth look at these events,

analyzed by experts and critical thinking is this is the disc, weekdays, on dw, the most taken. ask us those 3 cool, floating glass amelia, which is gonna cause a closing 1000000. so for us to get the select the most of the local, we have the modem from the us and the code the familiar. it was the 1st of all those who i knows. no one else will probably be gotten sick when will guessing amelia? see, i'm forgetting and i'll put you up for us and he looked at the mail yet as soon better. i don't know if it is, i'm going to put it so much. i'll send someone else to me. i'm far from beautiful facility. today. i live in seattle my you the other less but it's on this and also because my associate center that the.