In his speech, David Štěpán, educator and chairman of the Směr Česká republika party, emphasised the importance of education and academic cooperation as a fundamental pillar of relations between the Czech Republic and China. He drew on his own long experience as a teacher at a multicultural secondary school.
Štěpán pointed out that much of the scientific knowledge traditionally associated with the „ancient Greeks“ in Europe was already known long ago in China and other parts of the world. According to him, it is important to realise that the development of science has always been the result of international exchange of knowledge, not exclusively of one civilisation.
He paid close attention to demographic developments. According to Štěpán, it is admirable how China has managed to cope with enormous population growth and achieve food self-sufficiency. He spoke similarly about India and other BRICS countries, which today combine the ability to meet the basic needs of their populations with rapid technological development.
He also recalled the historically close relations between Czechoslovakia and China in the 1950s. According to him, it would be desirable to continue this tradition, especially in the area of university cooperation and technical education. He considers students and academic exchanges to be the key to long-term understanding.
Štěpán praised the fact that, in his view, China has historically sought stability and internal development rather than expansion. At the same time, he expressed his hope that the Czech Republic will be able to define itself less ideologically in the future and make more pragmatic use of opportunities for cooperation, particularly in education, science and technology.
According to David Štěpán, universities, students and joint research projects can lay a solid foundation for more balanced and sustainable relations between the Czech Republic and China in the long term.
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