Skopje, 27 November 2025 (MIA) - At a Q&A session of Parliament on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski in response to an MP’s question said the government has not received an offer for an interest-free loan from China for infrastructure projects, stressing that China and Chinese companies did not apply to the call for financing of the Corridor X high-speed railway.

Quizzed by Levica’s Borislav Krmov over a previous statement by the Deputy PM that the government has rejected an interest-free loan from the People’s Republic of China for Corridors VIII and X, instead choosing to use a loan from the United Kingdom, Nikoloski said the statement was taken out of context, noting that such an offer never reached the government, and if it had, they would have considered it very seriously.  

“Currently, the Ohrid-Kichevo motorway is being constructed with a loan from the Export–Import Bank of China. We see promotional videos on TV, yet somehow they are struggling to finish the 57 kilometers from Ohrid to Kichevo. That’s all about the companies that come with those funds. But, considering that the funds within the framework we have will not be sufficient, and we will need to borrow new funds to complete it, because serious stabilization of slopes is needed – there are 16 ultra-critical ones. I saw that yesterday you met with the Ambassador of PR China, I met her last week. We had a pleasant meeting. If they are truly ready to provide an interest-free loan, then let them make an offer for Ohrid-Kichevo. You arrange it, we will accept it,” Nikoloski said.

Nikoloski referred to the loan from the Export-Import Bank of China as “the most paradoxical loan,” since, he said, “the country is repaying funds for a loan for a project that still hasn’t been completed”.

“Loans for projects or investments usually start to be repaid once the project is completed. We are in a fairly difficult situation where the State Roads Public Enterprise with the Ministry of Finance is repaying funds to the Chinese Export-Import Bank for a project that is not completed. That’s all from their flexibility, even though on numerous occasions we requested a continuation of the grace period until the completion of the project, but they didn’t agree,” Nikoloski said.

Regarding the Corridor X railway, Nikoloski said even though the public call for financing was open and numerous offers from financial institutions were received, there were no offers from China or Chinese companies.

MIA file photo