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SCMP Reporter

Agence France-Presse

China and the Czech Republic vowed to upgrade bilateral relations as President Xi Jinping continued his tour of the country for a second day.
Xi, afforded the rare greeting of 21 artillery salvos at Prague Castle, the seat of the presidency, and his Czech counterpart Milos Zeman, yesterday signed a document in which the two nations pledged to form a strategic partnership.
The move demonstrates the considerable political significance the two countries place on each other, and comes amid a strategy by Beijing to broaden its international influence.
Red carpet and black paint: China’s President Xi Jinping embarks on first trip to Czech Republic
Zeman said after his talks with Xi that he expected Chinese investment in his country to reach 95 billion korunas (25 billion yuan) this year, and that Czech car manufacturer Skoda Auto would invest 60 billion korunas in China in the next five years, the Czech News Agency reported.
Other deals on industrial zones, scientific and technological cooperation, health care and civil aviation were signed by representatives of the two nations.

“Our relationship has entered a new phase with the fastest development and most achievements in history,” Xi said.
Zeman said the two nations should improve business ties and that Prague would “become the entry gate” for China into the European Union.
The visit was Xi’s first to any of the 16 central and eastern European countries, and his only stop before heading to the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.
Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for greater ties with Europe as he heads to Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, with its location at the heart of Europe, is seen as key to China’s “One Belt, One Road” development plan. Beijing hopes investment in the Czech Republic can set an example to the region about cooperation with China, as well as open a gateway to the European Union.

Feng Zhongping, at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said upgrading ties with the Czech Republic could help boost relations with European Community countries and also the European Union, and connect China’s development strategies with Europe’s.
Wang Yiwei, an European studies professor at Renmin University, said ties between China and some eastern European nations were not strong.
Xi Jinping’s visit to Czech Republic raises hopes for European grand canal project
“The Czech Republic is a key nation of central and eastern Europe, and boosting ties with it may push other nations in the region to improve ties with China,” he said.
Beijing has recently boosted engagement with central and eastern European countries by joining the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. It has also increased investment in the Czech Republic.

Chinese group CEFC Energy recently spent 20 billion koruna in the country, buying stakes in a charter airline, a brewery, two media groups and a top football team.
Zeman has adopted a China-friendly policy since he was elected in 2013, and was the only EU state leader to attend a military parade in Beijing last year. His approach to China contrasts to predecessors such as Vaclav Havel, who was a critic of China and had close ties with the Dalai Lama.
But Zeman’s approach has drawn protests from opposition parties and rights activists. Two protests took place yesterday outside Prague’s Lichtenstein Palace. 
Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse


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Xi Jinping

‘New phase’ in Sino-Czech relationship as Prague agrees to be China’s gateway to the European Union 

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and his Czech counterpart Milos Zeman inspect the guard of honour at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Chinese supporters cheer for President Xi Jinping after he arrived in Prague, Czech Republic, March 28, 2016. REUTERS/David W Cerny

In this image taken from video an activist replaces one of the Chinese flags, which decorate lamp posts of the main road from the airport to the city's center to welcome President Xi Jinping, with a Tibetan one, in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, March 28, 2016. Police said they detained a dozen of activists who were replacing Chinese national flags. (CTK via AP) SLOVAKIA OUT

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) shakes hand with Czech President Milos Zeman on March 29, 2016, in Prague. / AFP PHOTO / Michal Cizek

Red carpet and black paint: China’s President Xi Jinping embarks on first trip to Czech Republic

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at Prague airport, Czech Republic, on Monday. Photo: EPA

Policemen inspect Chinese flags colored by paint near Prague´s Castle, Saturday, March 26, 2016. Somebody colored dozens of Chinese flags before the visit of China's President Xi Jinping in the Czech Republic scheduled for March 28. (Michal Dolezal/CTK via AP)

A Czech National flag hangs next to a Chinese National flag splattered with a black substance in Prague on March 26, 2016 Dozens of Chinese flags that had been hung up in the streets of Prague ahead of a landmark visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping were defaced overnight police said. / AFP PHOTO / Michal Cizek

Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for greater ties with Europe as he heads to Czech Republic

On Saturday, ahead of Xi’s visit, dozens of Chinese flags that had been hung up in the streets of Prague in recent days were ­defaced. Photo: AFP

Xi Jinping’s visit to Czech Republic raises hopes for European grand canal project

Czech Republic's President Milos Zeman, and Chinese President Xi Jinping review a guard of honour during Zeman’s visit to Beijing in October 2014. Photo: AP

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