Beijing, Sept 2 (special CTK correspondent) – The Czech consulate in Chengdu, the fifth biggest city in China, will open on September 8, President Milos Zeman and Czech ambassador Libor Secka said after their meeting in Beijing yesterday.
Zeman, who started his visit to China, stressed this would be the only Czech consulate to open abroad this year.
“Given the financial constraints of the Foreign Ministry, this proves the importance we lay on this,” Zeman said.
“After all, western China is now the most dynamically growing part of the People’s Republic of China,” he added.
“After the air connection between Prague and Beijing starts operation on September 23 and possibly that between Prague and Shanghai, we cannot rule out that the air connection between Prague and Chengdu will open as well,” Zeman said.
Secka said the consulate in the metropolis of the Chinese Sichuan province would have a wide coverage.
“It will relate to a number of Chinese provinces. We expect it to contribute to further development of tourism and economic cooperation,” Secka said.
Earlier yesterday, Zeman arrived in China to take part in the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two as the only Western head of state.
During his five-day visit to China, Zeman is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zeman also laid flowers at the grave of Czech Jesuit missionary Karel Slavicek (1678-1735).
The scholar, mathematician and astronomer spent almost 20 years in China and is considered the first Czech sinologist. Slavicek is credited with having drawn up the first plan of Beijing.
