15/12/2017 This content is not up to date

The Czech Republic: Receiving the First Relevant Chinese Investments

New report prepared by the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) is out with a chapter from our senior researcher and coordinator of the Centre for EU-Asia Relations, Rudolf Fürst. Institute of International Relations Prague is proud to be a contributor to ETNC´s joint publications.

Summary of Rudolf Fürst's chapter

Chinese acquisitions and investments in the Czech Republic have increased markedly in the last two years, and are expected to continue on this new trend. The privately-owned, Shanghai-based China Energy Company Limited (CEFC), which chose Prague as the center of its European operations, has proven to be the most prominent investor, notably in the financial and tourism sectors. Others, such as the state-owned rail giant CRRC, are also showing significant interest in Czech assets. The Czech Republic’s position benefits from its geographical location, industrial tradition and subcontracting production network with the EU states, mainly with Germany, which has made Czechia the largest per capita receiver of overall FDI in post-communist Europe. While China has historically played only a small part in this, the country is currently upgrading its attractiveness, particularly through the proactive support of Czech political and lobby groups for Chinese economic activities. At the same time, the Czech media and broad public uphold their suspicious and hostile view of a rising China and its objectives in Europe.

You can read the full report here.

ETNC (European Think-tank Network on China) is a gathering of China experts from leading European policy research institutes.