Reciprocal visits by top leaders add impetus to development of bilateral relationship, trade opportunities

Editor's note: This article is written by the Czech Republic's Ambassador to China, Bedrich Kopecky.

The relations between the Czech Republic and People's Republic of China date back many years, during which both countries have developed a solid partnership. In 2016, we are celebrating the 67th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and I am happy to see our cooperation getting stronger every year. During the last two years, many important bilateral visits have taken place on both sides, in China and in the Czech Republic. Last year, President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Jan Hamacek made visits to China on separate occasions. Now we have the pleasure of hosting a visit by President Xi Jinping to the Czech Republic. This historic moment is the best evidence of the close relations between our two countries. I am convinced that the visit of the Chinese president to the Czech Republic will bring an unprecedented impetus for further development of our bilateral relations in many areas.

With the visit of Xi to the Czech Republic, we are naturally focusing our interest on the Belt and Road Initiative. When I look back to China's ancient Silk Road, I can see the merits of a collective work of the world's different societies to achieve common prosperity. The Silk Road was not a single thoroughfare connecting East and West but rather a complex network of exchange routes. They were not only a means for trade but also for exchanges of culture, art, religion, philosophy, language, architecture, science and other key elements of any development. The old societies started the Silk Road in order to reach common goals and improve their well-being. Those efforts are still alive today and the Silk Road deserves to be re-explored. That is why the Czech Republic welcomes China's Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity to promote cooperation in different areas, such as trade, investment, civil aviation, financial services, transportation and logistics, to name a few.

We are ready to become an active part of the Belt and Road Initiative. The Czech Republic signed an important Memorandum of Understanding on jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative during our prime minister's visit to China in November 2015. We already have specific projects in mind. Since the initiative puts strong emphasis on infrastructure, transport and connectivity, we see great opportunities for cooperation with China in the area of general aviation. As a pilot project, the Czech Republic can offer the Czech commuter airplane L 410 and related technology and know-how as a solution for short distance passenger transport in Xinjiang and some other Chinese provinces. The Czech Republic has extensive domestic and international experience in the area of general aviation. Czech companies can offer airport infrastructure, including radars and other air traffic monitoring products, ultralights, planes with up to 19 seats, flight training, maintenance, helicopter emergency medical services, electronics and IT solutions. The Czech Republic is not a large country, especially compared to China, but we are proud to be an important "aviation country" with positive references from around the world.

There are of course many other areas where the Czech Republic would like to contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative. We see potential for instance in the building of logistic centers and technology parks in the Czech Republic and China. Further opportunities for cooperation can be explored in the areas of energy, science and technology, rail transport and urbanization, financial services, medicine and environmental technologies.

Economic cooperation has always been one of the backbones of our partnership with China. In the last several years, we have seen a steady annual growth in both bilateral trade and investment between the Czech Republic and China. Czech companies have been investing in China in financial services, automobile manufacturing, machinery, IT, high-end technology and also in areas such as textile and glass manufacturing. We aim to continue bringing more Czech investors to China, especially in the areas that are important to the growth of the Chinese economy. To name just some of our priorities in Czech-China economic relations, I would mention civil aviation, cooperation in modern technologies (including green technologies), science, services, research and innovation, the health sector, agriculture and the promotion of tourism. Traditionally, the Czech Republic is also a strong exporter of high-tech machinery to China. In that respect, we are glad that China will be the partner country at the International Engineering Fair in Brno, which will take place in September this year.

The Chinese economy is currently undergoing fundamental changes and we feel that the reform process is on the right track - towards a market economy based on services, innovation and green technologies. We are very happy to see Chinese companies increasing their investment activities in Europe and also in the Czech Republic. Last year, we registered more than a 50 percent increase in investments from China coming into the Czech Republic (through the CzechInvest agency), with some projects being finalized. One of the highlights of Czech-Chinese relations in 2015 was the start of the first direct flight service between Prague and Beijing operated by Hainan Airlines. As a consequence, we have seen a significant increase of Chinese tourists coming to the Czech Republic. At the same time, more and more Czechs are also discovering the beauties of China. Further direct connections of Prague with Shanghai and Chengdu are on the horizon. It is our hope that the Czech Republic will soon become a key transportation hub for China in Central and Eastern Europe.

Through activities in the banking sector and partnerships with some of China's main financial institutions, Czech Republic also aims to become an important regional financial center in Europe for Chinese enterprises. The idea is to create a conducive environment for Chinese companies and investors who are looking to expand their business in the Czech Republic and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. After the Bank of China opened its subsidiary branch in the Czech Republic last year, we hope that other Chinese banks will follow.

The Czech Republic is not only developing ties with China through bilateral projects. We also cooperate within the 16+1 platform to further strengthen the partnership between China and the Central and Eastern European countries on various levels. One of the most important forms of cooperation I would like to mention is regional. The Czech Republic's ambition is to be very active in this area; almost all the regions of the Czech Republic have partnerships with different provinces in China. We aim to further intensify this form of cooperation. It is no coincidence that we chose regional cooperation as our flagship activity within the 16+1 format. The Czech Republic looks forward to cooperating on the preparation of the Local Leaders Meeting in Tangshan as a partner country in June 2016. We are ready to share our experience from a similar event in Prague in August 2014.

I am proud to see an increasing number of Czech students studying in China and Chinese students in classrooms and lecture theaters of schools and universities in the Czech Republic. Of course, we should not forget the cultural dimension of our relationship. Chinese films and TV shows are being shot in the Czech Republic, Czech musicians regularly perform in China, painters, authors and other artists bring pleasure to their audiences from both countries. The Czech Philharmonic orchestra will visit China this year and there are many more exciting scenes to look forward to. I must also mention the famous Little Mole and Panda cartoon programs, which underline the diversity of our cultural exchanges.

I take pleasure in acknowledging that the relationship between the Czech Republic and China is flourishing in so many ways. Both countries have much to offer to each other, be it in investment, trade, cultural exchange, tourism or science. The visit of Xi will not only confirm the quality of existing cooperation but also bring new ideas and initiatives to the future. We will work hard to overcome the challenges and focus on specific projects to fulfill our ambitions. With sustainable commitment on both sides, I am convinced that our relations will become stronger in the coming years.

(China Daily 03/30/2016 page5)