The Czech Republic’s capital city of Prague has long been a target of rivaling superpowers. The city, which was once the gem in the crown of the Holy Roman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, is located approximately 200 kilometers from Austerlitz, the site of Napoleon’s famous victory over the united Austrian and Russian army. The city saw military occupation and invasion throughout the 20th century from both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. But until recently, it would have been hard to see the picturesque capital of the Czech Republic as the center of the new global rivalry between the United States and China.
As part of the so-called “golden period” of Czech relations with Czech politicians, especially President Milo Zeman and a string of prime ministers, the most of whom associated with the Czech Social Democratic Party (SSD), made active attempts to engage Beijing beginning about 2005 and accelerated after 2014, which led to an increase in commerce, investment, and tourism.
In this post-Communist but highly industrialized European economy, Chinese corporations embarked on a corporate shopping binge. Numerous Confucius Institutes founded, frequently at exclusive or local colleges. Several periodicals and TV Barrandov in the Czech Republic published positive pieces regarding the Belt and Road Initiative. Xi Jinping personally visited Prague in 2016 as part of what was referred to as a “golden period” in Czech relations with China. This was the first trip to Prague by a senior Chinese official. China seems to be moving forward. Concerns about this new alliance began to surface when information about Chinese economic connections that translated into political influence emerged.
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