The Czech Republic has long been one of the automotive superpowers and developments in this sector have had a major impact on the economy and employment. That is why, according to Ivan Cinka, a member of the Transport Committee of the Central Bohemian Region Assembly for the STAČILO! coalition and former chairman of this committee for the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, it is necessary to realistically assess global trends in the automotive industry - and especially the role of China.
In response to an interview question, Cinka openly states that the Chinese automotive industry today is further ahead than the European one in many areas. „It can respond more flexibly to current challenges, including environmental ones. That is why cooperation with China should be in Europe's interest,“ He states. In his view, it is not only appropriate to see China as a competitor, but also as a partner from which Europe can learn.
At the same time, however, it draws attention to the problem of ideological prejudices that have negatively affected the Czech Republic's approach to cooperation with Chinese companies in recent years. „Due to the political attitudes of the previous government, cooperation was not only not encouraged, but often directly suppressed. Hopefully this attitude will now change,“ Cinka says.
Yet it is precisely cooperation between Chinese and European carmakers is already yielding concrete results. Examples include Stellantis' partnership with the Chinese company Leapmotor in the field of electric vehicles, the Renault-Geely alliance, the joint venture between Chery and EV Motors in Barcelona, and the long-term ties between German carmakers and their Chinese partners. These projects, he said, bring not only investment but also technological exchange, which the European car industry cannot do without.
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