22/08/2023

Czechia: The Strategic Partnership with China is without strategy (ETNC Report)

Reuters

In his contribution to the annual report of the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC), Rudolf Fürst sheds light on the factors influencing the current Czech strategy towards China.

The Czech approach to China is influenced by the tradition of its past economic relations, the ambitions of domestic business circles and by the fluctuating ideological shifts that follow the changing geopolitical environment and the Czech domestic political milieu. Czech Republic, disappointed by its unfulfilled economic goals in China, for Beijing, represents one of the most politically problematic partner states in post-communist Europe as a whole. Czech domestic identity-related ideologization and securitization of the Chinese issue, through which Prague emphasizes democratic values and belonging to the Western allies, makes this case remarkable in Euro-Chinese relations.

The full report is available below.