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

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.

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.

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.

“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