GEOECONOMIC POSITIONING OF THE SEMI-PERIPHERY: SLOVENIA, THE CAR INDUSTRY, AND THE POLITICS OF CHINA ENGAGEMENT

The article explains Slovenia’s geoeconomic positioning amid the intensifying US–China rivalry. Drawing on a critical political economy framework and the literature on growth models, the concept of geoeconomic exposure is introduced to illustrate how Slovenia’s export-led economy – particularly its reliance on the German automotive industry – influences foreign policy. The article reconstructs the emergent (and contradictory) push for government-supported ‘internationalisation’ of the Slovenian economy towards China spearheaded by the auto industry in search of diversification away from flailing German car giants and towards (Chinese) electric vehicle supply chains, thus shedding light on the elite’s strategising in the EU periphery. Keywords: Geoeconomics; Slovenian foreign policy; Semi-periphery; Automotive industry; European Union; China; Growth models.