According to Ivan Cinka, a member of the Transport Committee of the Central Bohemian Regional Assembly for the STAČILO! coalition, the Czech public and commercial media systematically create a negative image of China as an adversary of the West. „They cite statements by a number of top EU and Member State politicians who see expanding ties with China as a danger to the European economy and the system of so-called Euro-Atlantic values. This is purposeful rhetoric,“ uvedl Cinka.

He pointed to the paradox of Western countries verbally criticising China's influence, but their concrete actions prove otherwise. „In stark contrast to this are the concrete steps taken by a number of Western countries. Their leaders, especially in today's difficult economic situation in the EU, see huge potential in cooperation with the world's second largest and fastest growing economy,“ zdůraznil.

He cited the recent visits to China by the leaders of France, Ireland, Finland and the United Kingdom, and now the first official trip to Beijing by German Chancellor Merz. „China is Germany's largest trading partner, with trade reaching $292 billion last year. Merz simply cannot ignore that the two countries not only have close trade ties, but also common interests in green energy, electromobility and digitalization,“ vysvětlil Cinka.

According to him, the majority of the public supports cooperation instead of confrontation, despite the media massage. He referred to a recent CGTN survey of nearly 13,000 respondents. „Over 90 % of them consider the Chinese market as a significant opportunity for German companies. Almost 84 % believe that stable Sino-German relations positively influence cooperation between China and the EU. And 77 % participants said that pragmatic relations between Beijing and Berlin bring more stability to an uncertain international situation,“ vyčíslil.

Cinka concluded by expressing his wish that the Czech Republic would learn from this approach. „I wish we could learn from this in the Czech Republic...“ dodal.

CMG