An undated photo shows Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic [Photo: lvyou.baidu.com] Ahead of leaving for his first visit to the Czech Republic, Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling on the two countries to boost bilateral ties and strengthen cooperation in various fields. Xi Jinping made the remark in a signed article titled "Time to Renew and Energize China-Czech Ties" in Pravo daily, the second largest newspaper in the central European country. The Chinese leader hailed the decades-long friendship and strong growth in bilateral trade. He said as China and Europe are seeking closer cooperation, it is an opportune time for Beijing and Prague to upgrade development and bring more benefits for the two peoples. The President said he also looks forward to having in-depth exchanges of views with Czech leaders on boosting bilateral ties and on major international and regional issues. He also noted that China"s 2022 Winter Olympics will offer a great opportunity for sports exchanges between the two countries. The remarks are echoed from people in Prague. Vladimir Plesnik is the editor of the international edition with Pravo. "I think it is a very open written article. And he speaks very concretely not about the past. It is more and more important he is speaking about future. And I think the future is things interesting not only politicians, not only businessmen, but the ordinary people, the people from the streets too. That, in other words, will be interesting to our readers too." Milan Tomanek, a Czech financier, says he hopes stronger China-Czech relations can bring more business opportunities. "That"s something extraordinary and that shows a commitment to already improved bilateral ties. And it is something that is really very symbolic and we haven"t had that for years and luckily it is back and enables us to promote the investment. This is what we like and what we do already." Xi Jinping will be in the Czech Republic from Monday to Wednesday, before flying to Washington for a summit on nuclear issues. |
