On November 5, 2018, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Shanghai with Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček of the Czech Republic.

Wang Yi said that this morning, President Xi Jinping jointly attended the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) and toured around national pavilions including the Pavilion of the Czech Republic with President Milos Zeman and leaders of various countries. All parties jointly uttered positive voice on safeguarding the free trade system and promoting bilateral and multilateral economic and trade cooperation. This grand expo will not only show the world China’s determination to further open its door, but also will inject new impetus into boosting cooperation with mutual benefit and win-win results between China and the rest of the world. Wang Yi thanked President Milos Zeman for leading a delegation to attend the expo in China, which reflected the closeness and high level of relations between China and the Czech Republic.

Wang Yi expressed that China and the Czech Republic enjoy traditional friendship. The Chinese side always pays attention to the important position of the Czech Republic in Europe. China and the Czech Republic will usher in the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The Chinese side is willing to, together with the Czech Republic side, well implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, earnestly understand and accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, promote practical cooperation and enhance international coordination, so as to enrich the connotation of bilateral strategic partnership.

Tomáš Petříček congratulated on the successful opening of the first CIIE, and lauded the important speech delivered by President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony. Tomáš Petříček expressed that the Czech Republic side attaches importance to developing relations with China, adheres to the one-China principle, and stands ready to take the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic and China as an opportunity to deepen bilateral all-round cooperation under the frameworks such as the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries, as well as safeguard the rules-based international trade system together.