The Czech Republic’s relationship with China? It’s complicated
- President Milos Zeman is one of China’s most enthusiastic supporters in Europe
- But critics have raised concerns about human rights, trade practices and Taiwan
As US-China rivalry intensifies, European states have found themselves caught in the middle. The Post looks at how countries on the continent are responding, ranging from anti-China, to China-friendly, and those trying to walk a line between Washington and Beijing. The second in the four-part series looks at the Czech Republic. Read part one, on Portugal, here, and part three, on Greece, here.
Czech Republic President Milos Zeman made clear his views on relations with Beijing in a congratulatory message on China’s National Day on October 1, urging cooperation and deeper ties even as other major European states call for a more cautious approach.
“I firmly believe that we will soon defeat the coronavirus crisis and resume previous exchanges,” Zeman wrote. “The long-awaited Czech-Chinese governmental cooperation committee meeting can be launched, in order to assess the bilateral relations and plan the direction for future cooperation.”
Beyond Zeman’s presidential optimism, however, the mood in the Czech Republic towards the country’s relations with China is much more nuanced, with some voices in academia, the civil service, and opposition groups taking an opposite tack to Zeman, and earning his anger.
The sharply contrasting views result in the Czech Republic being among the nations in Europe most difficult to classify in terms of relations with China, despite president Zeman’s enthusiastic statements, according to commentators on the two countries’ relations.