Beijing/Prague, Aug 30 (CTK) – A selection of basic data on Czech-Chinese political relations in connection with the forthcoming military parade in Beijing marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in the Pacific on September 4, which President Milos Zeman will be attending:
– The two countries are currently most interested in the broadening of their economic relations. Human rights, Tibet and Taiwan are issues that have been long discussed.
– Tibet remains a controversial issue in the mutual relations. The effort of Tibet’s inhabitants to win a broad autonomy is backed by their Czech supporters. In the Czech Republic, protests have been organised against Beijing’s rule over Tibet and against the violation of human rights in Tibet and China in general. Traditionally, Tibetan flags are hoisted every March by individuals, groups, local authorities and even some state offices. The exiled Tibetan Dalai Lama was a friend of late Czech president Vaclav Havel and he visited Prague several times.
– During his visit to Beijing in April 2014, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek signed a statement saying Tibet is an indivisible part of China and that Prague does not support any form of Tibet’s independence. Both countries declared that they would not interefere in the internal affairs of the other country and they supported the defence of human rights. Zaoralek said a debate on human rights is a part of Czech politics and that the Chinese representatives are aaware of it. The new Czech position on Tibet was criticised by the Czech right-wing parties and the Greens, while the Communist Party supported it and President Milos Zeman considered this policy realistic.
– A new chapter in the mutual relations was opened by the Czech-Chinese Investment Forum held in Prague on August 28-29, 2014. The participants discussed Czech-Chinese cooperation in information technologies, industry, science and research and health care. A memorandum on a new association that would support regional cooperation between China and 16 Central and East European countries.
– Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Chinese Deputy Vice Premier Liu Yandong signed a memorandum during her visit to Prague in June and cooperation in health care, civilian aviation, education, culture and cinematography were on the agenda.
– First Czech president to officially visit China was Vaclav Klaus in April 2004. In September 2006, Klaus accompanied by entrepreneurs visited the Chinese Shaanxi province to discuss business opportunities. President Vaclav Havel has never visited China in protest against human rights violation and the occupation of Tibet. During Havel’s presidency, Czech prime ministers Klaus and Zeman visited China.
– President Milos Zeman paid a five-day official visit to China last October. He met President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang then and a number of contracts and bilateral agreements were signed during his visit.
– Premier Wen Jiabao was the highest Chinese official to visit Prague, in December 2005 and May 2009. On the latter occasion, he represented his country at a EU-China summit. China’s Vice Premier Wu Bangguo visited the Czech Republic in April 1997. In August 2014, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli took part in a Czech-Chinese investment forum in Prague and invited Zeman to China. Zeman met Chinese President Xi Jinping during the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in February 2014.
– Two Chinese foreign ministers paid official visits to Prague: Qian Quichen in November 1994 and Tang Jiaxuan in April 2001.
– In the era of the communist Czechoslovakia, president Gustav Husak visited China in September 1988 and president Antonin Novotny in September 1959. Chinese President Liu Shaoqi visited Prague in 1960.
– Czechoslovakia established official relations with China in June 1919, diplomatic offices were opened in December 1930. The relations were discontinued in March 1939, but in 1941 they were re-established and the diplomatic offices were later turned into embassies. In October 1949, the Czechoslovak government recognised the People’s Republic of China and launched diplomatic relations with it. China was one of the first countries that established diplomatic relations with the independent Czech Republic on January 1, 1993, the first day of its existence.
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