On March 29, 2016 local time, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Milos Zeman of the Czech Republic in Prague. Both sides spoke positively of the development of bilateral relations, exchanged in-depth views and reached broad consensus on China-Czech relations, China-EU relations, cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC), and international and regional issues of common concern. The two heads of state agreed to raise the China-Czech relations to a strategic partnership and usher it into a new stage.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the Czech Republic is one of the earliest countries that recognized and established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. The friendship between the two countries and the two peoples enjoys a long history. At present, the China-Czech relations have entered into a stage of harvest with positive development momentum, close high-level exchanges and booming cooperation in economy and trade and other fields. China is willing to, together with the Czech Republic, cherish the hard-won and sound China-Czech relations, consolidate the traditional friendship, enhance political mutual trust, and push the practical cooperation for more new achievements, so as to pass down the cause of China-Czech friendship from generation to generation.

Milos Zeman said that both Czech and Chinese people enjoy a traditional friendship, and trade and investment between the two countries have developed rapidly in recent years. China has become an important partner of the EU in trade and economic cooperation. The Czech Republic is willing to deepen political mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation with China, and to continue playing a positive role in pushing forward CEEC-China cooperation. It is also committed to becoming a gateway as well as a transportation, logistics and financial hub for China to the EU.

The two heads of state reached a number of important consensus, agreeing to establish China-Czech Strategic Partnership in order to seek wider common interests, and carry out cooperation in deeper levels.

Both sides agreed to continue giving play to the leading role of high-level exchanges, and conduct closer multi-level, multi-tiered and wide-ranging consultations and dialogues between central governments, legislative bodies, political parties and local governments. Both sides agreed to deepen political mutual trust, firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, and ensure the long-term, healthy, and stable development of the China-Czech relations. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation and coordination on major international and regional issues and jointly promote world peace, development and cooperation.

Both sides agreed to strengthen the docking of China's "Belt and Road" initiative with the development strategy of the Czech Republic, and to jointly formulate the outline of the China-Czech cooperation plan and make it the framework to guide China-Czech practical cooperation for some time in the future. The two sides should strengthen production capacity cooperation in the fields of manufacturing including machinery, automobile and aviation. Both sides should deepen cooperation in finance, nuclear energy, traditional Chinese medicine, air transport, and industrial parks, so as to build connectivity in an all-round way. Both sides should also advance innovation cooperation in such emerging areas as E-commerce, communications, intelligent industry, nanotechnology and environment protection to forge new growth points for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

Both sides agreed to expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges in all fields, to develop projects of strengthening mutual understanding between the two peoples, to deepen cooperation in education, tourism, localities, sports and other areas, and to increase the number of overseas students sent to each other, so as to cement social foundation for the long-term and stable development of bilateral relations.

Both sides agreed to push the development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and implement the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, so as to make positive contributions to the four major China-EU partnerships for peace, growth, reform and civilization. Both sides support the early completion of the China-EU Investment Agreement through negotiations.

The two sides agreed that the China-CEEC cooperation and China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership are complementary to each other. Both sides agreed to adhere to the spirit of mutual respect, mutual assistance and mutual benefit, and deepen the convergence of interests. The two sides also agreed to make efforts to realize the all-around docking between the China-CEEC cooperation and "Belt and Road" construction, so as to enhance China-EU connectivity cooperation and advance Asia-Europe connectivity. Both sides also reached consensus in deepening people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

After the talks, the two heads of state jointly signed the Joint Statement on Establishing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Between People's Republic of China and Czech Republic, and witnessed the signing of documents on bilateral cooperation covering E-commerce, investment, science and technology, tourism, culture and aviation.

Xi Jinping and Milos Zeman also jointly met the press.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi and others were present at the above events.

The two heads of state also jointly met Chinese and Czech teenage hockey and football players, talked with them warmly, and encouraged them to make contributions to sports exchanges between the two countries.