The Confucius Institute at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje is situated in the building of National & University Library, St. Clement of Ohrid. Photo by Meta.mk, used with permission. This story was produced by Meta.mk as part of the Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub. An edited version is republished here under a content-sharing agreement between Global Voices and Metamorphosis Foundation. One of the most noticeable forms of Chinese “soft power” in North Macedonia, a country bidding for and European Union membership while already being part of NATO, is its influence in the field of higher education. Chinese influence in higher education in North Macedonia is focused primarily on the several public universities, as a result of ongoing cooperation, student exchanges and various agreements and memoranda of understanding. The champions of this cooperation are Ss. Cyril and Methodius University (UKIM) from Skopje, Goce Delčev University from Štip, and University of Information Science and Technology “St. Paul The Apostle” from Ohrid. Meanwhile, available data indicates that the number of students from North Macedonia who went to study in China is increasing, along with the number of students studying the Chinese language through the Confucius Institute in Skopje. The research paper ”Understanding the tools, narratives and impact of Chinese “soft power” in North Macedonia” by think tank ESTIMA and Konrad Adenauer Foundation notes: Probably the most important and long-term strategy for anchoring China’s soft power in North Macedonia is the opening of the Confucius Institute in Skopje, at the oldest and most renowned public university, Ss. Cyril and Methodius in 2013. This research has also shown that China has been providing scholarships for Macedonian students for more than 20 years: Initially starting with 1-2, at present the number of scholarships reaches approximately 10 per year and, according to the words of an education ministry representative, they are always used up. Scholarships are provided in cooperation between the Macedonian Ministry of Education and Science and the Chinese Ministry of Education, specifically the China Scholarship Council. Occasionally the Chinese Ministry of Commerce or the Confucius Institute provide additional opportunities to study or travel in China. In their analysis “The Chinese Non-business Influence in the Balkans,” the European think tank Blue Europe stresses that Chinese influence in the Balkans is constantly growing, especially in the institutions dealing with culture, education, policies, and journalism directed towards making the Balkan countries dependent on China. On April 11, 2023, in order to acquire additional data on the Chinese influence on Macedonian higher education, Meta.mk used the Law on Free Access to Public Information (FOIA) to request data from 21 state and private universities, as well as from the Ministry of Education and Science (MES). Journalists received responses from 17 entities within the deadline proscribed by the law, while four higher education institutions did not respond at all. The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) explained that the cooperation in the field of science and technology is based on the Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Macedonian and the Chinese governments signed on March 7, 1995. This agreement enabled the implementation of scientific and research project activities between both countries but also opened an opportunity for concluding direct Memoranda of Understanding between Macedonian universities and counterparts in China. “In 2020/2021, 38 projects applied on the call for scientific and technological cooperation, while the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Commission between the RN Macedonia and PR China decided to fund 20 joint Macedonian-Chinese projects,” the MES informed Meta.mk. Sign of Confucius Institute at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje is situated in the building of National & University Library „St. Clement of Ohrid“. Photo by Meta.mk, used with permission. The data on concluded agreements that the universities gave Meta.mk, shows that state universities are most involved when it comes to cooperation with China. Among them, UKIM is the only one that had established a Confucius Institute therein. They informed Meta.mk that the Confucius Institute had 10–15 attendees over 18 years of age of the courses in the Chinese language who also participated in a two-week summer camp in Chengdu within the period 2015–2019.