Vojtěch Filip: We cannot expect much from Brussels, I do not rule out negotiations with Babiš and Havlíček

PChairman of the Standing Committee of the All-China People's Congress Zhao Leji met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Beijing on Thursday. During the meeting, the two countries announced a groundbreaking agreement on the use of their national currencies - the yuan and the Canadian dollar - in mutual trade instead of the US dollar. The move comes just months after Carney called China the „biggest threat“ to Canada.

Vojtěch Filip, chairman of the board of the Czech-Chinese Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told CMG that the agreement reflects the strength of the Chinese economy and technological development. „China is the most economically and technologically powerful economy in the world today and logically has no interest in supporting the US debt system,“ Filip explained. He added that trade in national currencies protects both countries from inflationary pressures caused by printing dollars.

In the context of the transformation of the global order, Filip stressed China's central role in shaping the multipolar world. „While the U.S. and Russia are preoccupied with internal or regional disputes, China has consistently promoted President Xi Jinping's vision of a ‘community of shared human destiny“," he said. However, he expressed scepticism about the European Union: „While individual member states recognise the one-China principle, Brussels institutions often prioritise ideology over pragmatic cooperation.“

Regarding the future direction of Czech-Chinese economic relations, Filip noted that the change of government in Prague has created an opportunity to strengthen mutual trust. „Chinese companies are now more interested in investing in the Czech Republic because the ideological barriers of the past have passed,“ He said. On the possibility of negotiations with Czech political representatives, he said: „Although the chamber's board of directors has not yet discussed it, I do not rule out a meeting with Industry Minister Karel Havlíček or Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.“

The talks come at a time when China is demonstrating its willingness to develop international trade relations based on mutual respect and shared benefits, while the EU is still seeking a balanced approach to its strategic partnership with the world's second largest economy.

CMG