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NOEL KING, HOST: The tiny mountainous country of Montenegro in southeastern Europe needed a good road. China offered to build it. And now Montenegro owes China the equivalent of a quarter of its economy, and Montenegro is not sure it can pay. Now, this road is part of a greater drama about a battle for influence in countries that are just outside of the European Union. Here s NPR s Rob Schmitz.
ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE: The 25-mile section of highway that threatens to take Montenegro s economy starts here in the mountains outside the capital, Podgorica. The multilane expressway is lined with scaffolding. The Chinese construction company hasn t finished it yet, so cars are using the old road underneath it. It hasn t been paid for yet either. The first payment on the billion-dollar loan is due in July, and it s unclear whether Montenegro will be able to pay China back. What s worse, says former justice minister Dragan Soc, once completed, the road won t lead anywhere anyway - n