Czech president: Belt and Road boosts bilateral cooperation

President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman said the Belt and Road Initiative will strengthen bilateral cooperation and promote people-to-people exchanges between China and his country.

"My most concerned topic is Belt and Road Initiative, the world's biggest initiative for building infrastructure," said President Zeman, who was speaking at a joint press briefing ahead of his trip to Beijing for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

The Czech Republic is China's second biggest trading partner in the Central and Eastern European region, and China is the Czech Republic's largest trading partner outside the EU. The two countries elevated their ties to a strategic partnership during Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to the country in 2016. "I understand the forum is planning to link China with Europe in the future, so I hope one of the links connect China and the Czech Republic," said Zeman.

Located in Central Europe, the Czech Republic is one of the major counties along the Belt and Road and a gateway to Europe for China, as the 16 countries in this region make up nearly a quarter of all countries along the Belt and Road route.

President Zeman said the initiative will provide development opportunities for the Czech economy, and for Central and Eastern Europe as a whole. "Proposed by China, the 16+1 platform includes 16 Central and Eastern European countries. I believe the Belt and Road Initiative will promote infrastructure development, especially in railway transport. I believe the transportation of goods between the two countries will benefit under bilateral cooperation."

The impact of the Belt and Road Initiative is not only economic, but also social and cultural. Since 2015, three direct flights have been opened between China and the Czech Republic, boosting the number of Chinese visitors.

"During my visit to China, I will witness the signing of a series of documents, one of which made my very happy even though it is not a big deal. A group of Chinese pilots will be trained in the Czech Republic. Because of the Belt and Road Initiative and the strategic partnership between the two countries, the number of Chinese visitors to the Czech Republic doubled during this year," said president Zeman.

"As for people-to-people exchanges, I prefer strengthening the cooperation in general aviation. Because the railway cooperation aims at goods delivery, whereas opening flight routes will promote people-to-people exchanges."